Hyrule's Heroes Book 1: Destiny of a Hero
by Wynn of Hyrule
Summary: Set after Ocarina of Time, a new menace arises to threaten Hyrule, and it is up to a new hero, along with his friends, to save the day.
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer

Link, Zelda, Hyrule, other trademarked items belong to Nintendo, and are used without permission.All original characters are mine.All comments, questions, and criticisms go to [hyrules_hero@hotmail.com][1].Thanks, and enjoy!

CHAPTER 1

The sun was rising over Hyrule Field.Evil had been vanquished, and good had triumphed.Normality would now return to this once-peaceful land.Yesterday, Ganondorf, the self-proclaimed Great King of Evil, had been slain by the Hero of Time. Last night, everyone had celebrated, dancing around the light of a bonfire.Now the people of Hyrule could return to their normal lives, the ones they had lived before Ganon and his reign of evil.

Soon, the hustle and bustle of every-day life returned to Kakariko Village. The cut-ups met in front of the tree, and started making jokes. The Cucco Lady began to watch over her cuccos, which are Hylian chickens, making sure not to touch them, since she was allergic to them.The Bazaar, Potion Shop, and Shooting Gallery opened for business. The stern man that lived in Impa's house stepped into the sunlight, frowned at the cut-ups, sniffed, and walked back into the house.

And then a familiar figure walked into town. He had lived there a long time, and all the residents recognized him. It was the carpenter boss.He strode purposefully to the center of town, and called out to all that would hear him. All heads turned at the sound of his gruff voice.

"I am looking to hire me an adventurer," he called. "Are there any here?"No one answered. "I am willing to pay a hundred rupees to whoever would get rid of the monsters that infest the marketplace.

"You're never going to find anyone that stupid!" taunted one of the goof-offs.

"Make it two hundred," said a quiet voice from the shadows, "and you have a deal."

The owner of the voice stepped from the darkness that had concealed him.It was a young man, in his late teens.He was dressed in dark armor, and was carrying a sword.He had a rounded face, expressive eyes, and a small mouth. He was thickly built, but in shape.His armor was damaged, obviously in a battle. It appeared to have been cut. He stood in front of the carpenter boss.

"You would kill the monsters in the marketplace?" asked the carpenter boss.

"I would," answered the young man, "for two hundred rupees."

"Don't listen to that wimp!" yelled a raucous voice from the crowd. "We'll do it for one-fifty, and there are five of us!"

Another adventurer stepped forward. He, unlike the first, was burly, and had a sneer on his scarred face. He seemed to have been less lucky in his adventures than the first, considering the condition of his armor and face. Standing behind him was a crowd of thugs, four in number, similar to their leader in appearance and, from the looks on their faces, attitude.

"Yeah!He could hardly take on a Tekitite, let alone a real monster!" another of the thugs crowed.

The carpenter boss looked hard at the lone adventurer, then at the thugs.He then motioned to the thugs to follow him.

"I'll be right here if you decide you want the job done right."stated the young man, and stepped back into the shadows.

******

The carpenter boss and the thugs walked together toward the marketplace entrance.They crossed a bridge and came to the entrance of the once well populated town.The drawbridge to the market was newly repaired.Lounging in front of the drawbridge were four carpenters, doing nothing but talking to each other."This lazy group of men built this bridge, but we can't begin work on rebuilding the town until someone gets rid of those...creatures."

"Be quiet, old man.We don't care.We will kill those monsters, and you will pay us. That's all," interrupted the leader of the gang.

"Well then. Go kill the monsters, if you expect your pay," said the rather peeved carpenter boss.And with an insolent smile, the leader turned and walked into the market, followed by his companions.

******

The carpenter boss waited for the battle to begin.He wasn't disappointed.Soon the cries and shouts reached his ears.However, he was surprised to see the thugs suddenly run toward him, as if fleeing.

"So did you defeat them?" he asked impatiently.He didn't get an answer. The thugs merely ran past him.It was then he noticed the fact that one of the thugs was wounded and being carried by his friend, and the look in the eyes of the men was frenzied, panicked...terrified.The carpenter boss watched the men that had earlier been concerned only of money run far away from their previous employer.The carpenter boss sighed, then turned and walked on the path back to Kakariko.

******

The young man was still standing outside as the carpenter boss began his lonely trail back to the village.Hemuttered to himself, "Perhaps all the residents of this village aren't as pleasant as I had originally thought."

"Oh!Do you mean Agno?"The young man turned at the sound of a girl's voice beside him."Oh, ignore him.He is just a bully."The voice was that of the young lady he had seen earlier, the one with the cuccos.

"I guess that is him.There aren't that many other extremely rude people in this town, or at least I hope," the young man replied."By the way, my name is Wynn."

The young lady just giggled, and said, "Everybody calls me the Cucco Lady."

"I couldn't imagine why." Wynn muttered under his breath.He then saw the carpenter boss enter the town. "I guess I had better go.I'll see you later."The Cucco Lady just giggled.He turned and walked toward the carpenter boss, shaking his head in wonder.He noticed a hawk-nosed man dressed in armor standing at the top of a stairway, staring at him intently.He kept on walking, murmuring to himself about the sanity of this village's occupants.

"So, how successful were those men you hired?" asked Wynn with a trace of sarcasm, once he reached the carpenter boss..

"I'll pay you two hundred rupees, not a one more," answered the carpenter boss angrily.Wynn merely smiled at him.He and the carpenter boss began to walk back to the marketplace.

******

Soon they arrived at the drawbridge."Perhaps you will be more successful," said the carpenter boss.Wynn merely saluted, turned, and walked into the imposing village without another word.

Wynn cautiously attempted to watch all around him.The moans of the beasts were all everywhere.He opened a door to his right and started to walk into what appeared to be a recently vacated shop.Suddenly, a monster stepped into view and stared at him through empty eyes.It had leathery brown skin, and a human form.It looked like a walking corpse.It took all of his will to slam the door and lean against it.He had nearly been paralyzed by the monster's gaze!Wynn smiled grimly to himself, and said quietly, "A ReDead.I hate ReDeads!"A ReDead is a zombie-like monster that can paralyze a person who looks into its eyes.He thought for a second, then covered his eyes with his hand and opened the door.He could hear the monster's shriek, its rushed footsteps.He drew his sword and slashed, feeling its blade make contact. The monster shrieked, this time in pain.He stabbed, and again, until he heard the monster fall to the floor.He then uncovered his eyes, and glowered at the monster's corpse.He turned, started to leave the shop, and saw a banner on the wall.He smiled, went to it and ripped a long piece of it off, and started on his task.

******

The carpenter boss waited outside impatiently.He could hear the cries of battle, but, unlike earlier, the young man didn't run past him in a serious hurry like the thugs.The sun was setting, and it sounded like the young man was still fighting.Then suddenly, the young man emerged, undamaged, wearing a......blindfold?"Are they dead?" he asked imperiously.

"Thank you for showing so much concern for my health.I'm fine," the young man said arrogantly, taking off the blindfold. "And yes, they are all dead.You can return to work now."

The carpenter boss smiled, and said, "Good.And here is your payment." He handed the young man ten blue rupees, worth five rupees apiece.

"What...?You promised me two hundred rupees!This is only fifty!" The young man yelled angrily.

"You will receive the rest of your payment when we get paid for this job," the carpenter boss said, obviously dismissing him.The young man growled, and turned to go back to Kakariko.The carpenter boss smiled to himself.That boy reminded him of himself when he was younger...

CHAPTER 2

The sun was setting on Hyrule Field as Wynn slowly climbed the stairs to Kakariko Village.He sighed as he passed the gate, walking toward the house he had rented for the night.He was seriously short on rupees, and he needed all the money he could get.Oh, well.Tomorrow he would move on, and would camp out tomorrow night.

As he opened the door to his house, he saw the stairway where the hawk-nosed man had been standing.It was vacant.He was probably in bed...like most sensible people.As if anyone in this village could be called 'sensible', anyway. Wynn smiled to himself as he got ready to settle into bed.Tomorrow would be here soon, and he needed all the rest he could get.

******

"Nooooo!" Wynn sat up in bed suddenly.Had that been him screaming?He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, listening.He had been dreaming again, obviously.The same dream.He groaned and got of bed.From the sounds of birds chirping and people talking, it must be morning.He began to gather his belongings, preparing for his journey to Gerudo Valley.

******

Wynn breathed in deeply.The air of Hyrule Field seemed to have an invigorating effect on him.He hefted his pack higher on his back, and started walking to the southwest.The Spirit Temple was once the hideout of the Gerudo thieves, and probably had many riches in concealed vaults.Or at least sohis father had told him.His father...

"Hey!Wait up!" a voice interrupted his disturbing thoughts."I thought I would never catch you," said the hawk-nosed man, breathing hard from the run he had just made.When Wynn said nothing, he stuck out his hand and said, "The name is Tane."Tane was tall, semi-muscular, with dirty red hair.He was wearing old-looking armor, and had a pouch at his side that looked like it held...letters? Maps?

"Wynn,"Wynn said, shaking Tane's hand.

"Nice to meet ya, Wynn,"Tane said.Wynn nodded."Listen, I heard about your exploits in the marketplace.I was looking for a partner, and thought you may be a good person to work with."

"And what is your job, Tane?" Wynn said, intrigued.

"You haven't heard of me?" Tane asked, incredulous."I'm the greatest soldier-for-hire this side of Gerudo Valley!"

"A _mercenary_?" Wynn asked in disbelief .

"Well, if you want to be rude about it..."Tane said, insulted.

"Forget it!" Wynn said angrily.With that, he turned and started to walk off.

"Well, I just thought you might be interested in this treasure map I have, but if you aren't..." Tane said.Wynn stopped."It is supposed to be a lot of treasure," Tane added.Wynn turned to face him.

"All right," Wynn said.

"Great!" Tane said enthusiastically."Now, we can go to the Lost Woods."Wynn fell into step with him as they reversed direction, going due east."Now, when we find the treasure, you can have a quarter of it and-"

"Half!"Wynn interrupted.

"But I am the one with the map," Tane whined.

"You need a partner.I get half, or you go it alone," Wynn insisted.

"We'll talk about it," Tane said.Kakariko Village receded into the distance as they walked to the Lost Woods together...

******

The enchanting music of the woods greeted the pair of adventures as they stepped onto the wooden bridge at the entrance of the woods. "Hey Wynn," Tane said quietly, "be careful around here, okay?"

"Why?" asked Wynn, slightly concerned.

"Well...uh, the guy that sold me this here map sorta mentioned some kind of guardian beasts around here somewhere..." Tane said cautiously, unsure of his partner's reaction to this particular piece of information.

"WHAT????" Wynn yelled, furious.

"Sorry!" Tane said.

"Why couldn't you have told me this earlier?" Wynn asked.But the thought of the riches kept him from leaving.He drew his sword, and turned to enter the hollowed-out log at the end of the bridge.Tane did the same.

******

They exited the log together. It had been tall, so tall neither had had to stoop to enter it.Both were ready for anything.Except for the sight of a small village, with houses carved from trees, and pools of water.

"Hi!" a voice yelled, seeming to come from right beside them.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Tane screamed, and turned to flee.He wasn't successful.He somehow managed to trip over his own boots, and fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.

Wynn looked at the person who had spoken to them.It was a small red-haired child who was standing next to the log they had just exited.Wynn snickered, trying to stop from breaking into full-fledged laughter.He couldn't help himself, and soon started guffawing at his partner's expense, causing Tane to glare at him.

"Scary guardian beasts, oh great mercenary!"Wynn gasped in a pause between laughs, tears running from his eyes.Tane growled at him, stood up, and dusted himself off.The young boy stared at them quizzically.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"We were about to ask you the same thing,"Wynn said, wiping his eyes.

"I am Tane, and this joker is called Wynn," Tane said.

Wynn noticed several of the children running toward them.Oddly, he didn't see any adults anywhere.

"You must talk to the Deku Sprout!" the young boy said.This was taken up as a chorus by the rest of the children.

"Hey, wait a second!We don't wanna talk to no tree,"said Tane.The boy grabbed his arm and started leading him toward the far side of the village.Tane consulted his map as he was being dragged by the boy.Quickly ripping his arm from the boy's grasp, he ran towards the left side of the village."Come on!" he yelled to Wynn.Wynn chased after Tane, with the children in hot pursuit.

They ran to the side of the village Tane had indicated, but they came to a dead end.The children were nearing them.They looked around, desperate.

"Up there!" Wynn said, pointing to a cliff directly above them.

"How do we get up there?" Tane asked.Wynn was frantically searching for a way to get there when the children reached them.Tane lifted his sword, keeping them at bay.

"Hey!There are some vines here!"Wynn said, and started climbing.Tane turned, ran to the vines, and desperately pulled himself as high as he could.The children's fingers just missed his boot as he climbed the wall.

They paused when they reached the top to catch their breath.Tane dropped the map, and bent over to pick it up.They climbed a hill, and saw the entrance to the Lost Woods."That way," Tane gasped, and they entered another log.

******

Together they exited the log.They saw that they were surrounded by paths; one to the right, one to the left, and one straight ahead.Tane consulted his map. "Dat way," Tane said, pointing to their left.Wynn followed him.

In the next open area, there was a pair of stumps.Atop one of the stumps was a child, dressed in rags and wearing a skull mask.He was playing a flute.When he saw them, he jumped offhis stump and pointed his flute at them."Ouch!" Tane yelped, as small darts shot from the flute hit him.He drew his sword, and dashed toward the kid.The kid did a backflip, and vanished into thin air.Tane stared at the empty air, confused.

Meanwhile, Wynn was preoccupied.He had noticed a bright light shining from the ground.When he examined it closely, he noticed that the light was coming from several nuts lying on the ground. He stooped over and picked them up.

Tane was consulting his map. "Now we go that way," said Tane, pointing to the left again. Wynn walked with him through another log.

They climbed down a ladder, and waited for Tane to consult his map. "We go left," he said, and walked in that direction, staring at his map while he was walking.

"But..." Wynn said.Tane paid him no attention. THUMP!Tane's head rebounded from the concussion of it against a flat wall. Wynn snickered. "I tried to warn you," Wynn said.

"But the map says that we go left!" Tane said, clueless.

"Let me see that map!" Wynn yelled.He examined the map closely."No wonder!You were holding the map upside down!" he yelled angrily.Tane looked at him pitifully.

******

Much later, they were back where they had started.Wynn was carrying the map now, and Tane was following him.Wynn was busy muttering about the incompetence of his partner.They followed the map, going right, then left, then right again.They eventually ended up at an open area with a pool of water, and a young boy dressed in clothes similar to those worn by the children in the village in the woods."Who are you?"the boy asked bossily.

"None of your business," Tane informed him.

"I'm Mido. I'm boss of the Kokiri," the boy said.

"Good for you.We are just going to go through here," Tane said, trying to walk through the log behind the boy.The boy stood in his way, and wouldn't budge, even when Tane tried to push him out of the way.

"You can't go through here.No one can.Saria said so,"said Mido, stubbornly crossing his arms.Tane frowned, and tried pushing him out of the way again.

Wynn was standing back, observing his partner try futilely to move Mido.Minutes passed, but no matter how hard Tane tried, he couldn't move Mido.Wynn became bored, and resorted to examining the nuts he had picked up.He wondered, what caused the bright light shining out of them?

With a brutally vicious shove, Mido finally pushed Tane away from him.Tane stumbled back and collided with Wynn, causing Wynn to drop the nut he had been examining. A bright light burst from the nut when it smashed to the ground.Mido and Tane were blinded, but Wynn was unaffected because Tane's bulk was smashed into his face.Wynn noticed this, and, grabbing Tane's arm, pulled his partner through the log while Mido was busy rubbing his eyes.

Soon, they arrived at the area marked on the map. It was an open area with a dead tree in the center. "So where is it?" questioned Wynn.

"It is right here, according to the map,"said Tane.

"I don't see any treasure here," Wynn replied.

" Be patient.It is in a cave directly under our feet."

"And how do we get there?"Wynn asked.

Tane pulled a large ax from his pack."We get rid of some dead wood." And with a mighty swing, he buried the ax's blade in the dead tree.After several swings, the tree fell to the ground with a crash.Wynn stared into the hollow space in the stump.

"You first," he said with a gentlemanly sweep of his arm.And with a grumble, Tane leapt into the hole.

"Yaaaaahhhhhh!"Thump!Wynn smiled, hearing that it wasn't that long of a drop from the length of Tane's yell.He jumped in the hole.

After he untangled himself after his fall, he stood up and dusted himself off.He looked at the cavern he found himself in.It had dirt walls, and there were roots lining the walls and ceiling. There was no one there, except for his partner.There also was no treasure. "So, mercenary, where is the treasure?"

"But...!The guy told me this was a treasure map!"

"And how did he say he got it?"

"He said he found it-"

"How did he know it was a treasure map, if he had found it somewhere?"Wynn asked, furious.

"Uhhhh....." Tane stopped to think for a second.

"You got scammed, mercenary."

"Arrrggghhh!" With a cry of anger, Tane swung his ax at one of the roots in a blind rage.Suddenly, a thick green vine shot up from the floor and wrapped itself around the ax yanking it out of Tane's hands before he could cut the root.A similar vine wrapped itself around Tane's foot and pulled it out from under him, causing him to fall.

"And what do you think you are doing?"a young woman's voice demanded.Wynn's head turned, looking toward the source of the voice.It was a woman, maybe a year or so younger than him.She was dressed in clothes similar to those worn by the children in the village.She was short, and all of her features were small: small eyes, nose, mouth, ears.She had brown hair, and brown eyes.She was pretty, in Wynn's opinion.

"None of your business," Tane gruffly answered, climbing to his feet.

"Who are you?" Wynn asked, enchanted.

"My name is Fami, trespasser.Who are you?" she replied, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"My name is Wynn," Wynn replied, completely forgetting about Tane.

Fami smiled, and said, "Nice to meet you, Wynn."

Tane looked at his partner, perturbed by his puzzling behavior. "Snap out of it, Wynn."

"Huh?" Wynn asked, his eyes not leaving Fami's.Her eyes stayed on him.

Tane sighed. "We need to leave, since there is no treasure."

"No treasure?" Wynn asked, not really paying much attention to his partner.

"There is no treasure in these caves," Fami said, finally acknowledging Tane.

"Great. Just great. All this way, and for nothing.Come on ,Wynn.We are leaving," Tane said.

"How do you propose we do that?" asked Wynn. "You are, after all, the brains of this operation,"Fami snickered at that. Tane loudly cleared his throat, attempting to prevent his partner's attention from becoming once again affixed on the young girl.

"You can't.Not without my help, anyway," Fami informed him.

"Oh, really?" Tane asked, seriously doubting her.

"Yes," Fami turned and started walking down a short passageway Wynn hadn't noticed before.They followed her.They came to a small room.It was lit by a pair of torches.It had a bed, a table, and a chair.

"Cozy," commented Wynn.Tane laughed.

Fami busied herself by packing food, clothes, and a few personal belongings in a small pack.

"What do you think you are doing?" demanded Tane.

"I am going with you," Fami informed him matter-of-factly.As she said this, she recalled her life for the last seven years.She had lived alone, apart from everyone but the wild creatures of the forest.She had craved someone to talk to for years, and now she had a chance to leave this dismal cave.

"No way!" Tane said.

"Yes.If you expect me to help you, I am coming with you. I am tired of living alone. You need my help, and you seem as good of company as any,...mercenary."

"The name is Tane, and you ain't coming with us.Right, Wynn?" Wynn didn't reply.

"Then get out your way," she said, smiling cruelly.

Tane looked around, desperate for a way out. "Okay, I guess you can come.But stay out of our way, right?" Fami merely smiled.The trio returned to the room they had originally met in."Now how do we get up there?" asked Tane, pointing to the light shining above them.

"Simple," Fami made a hand gesture. A gigantic vine sprouted from the ground, spiraling up to the tree stump.Tane's and Wynn's mouths dropped open.Fami smiled at them, then started climbing.

******

When all three had reached the top, they started walking.They left that area, and when they came to the next Tane pulled out his map. "Now we go..." he started.

"We go forward," interrupted Fami, and walked straight ahead.Wynn followed her.With a muttered insult to Fami, Tane followed them.

When they exited the next log, Tane and Wynn were shocked to see that they were back at the village. "Welcome to Kokiri Village," Fami said.

"We've been here before.The residents here are about as pleasant as those people in Kakariko Village," Wynn said, and Tane snorted.

"You got that right," he said.

"Excuse me!" Fami said, insulted. "These people are my friends!"

"'Nuff said," smirked Tane.

"I wasn't including you," Wynn informed her diplomatically. Tane rolled his eyes.

"If she is the treasure, you can have my half too," Tane said.

The trio sneaked down the vines, and started creeping toward the exit.They hoped to avoid any attention from the Kokiri, who would probably remember the two adventurers that had escaped them earlier.The young boy that had scared Tane was peacefully snoring away.They had nearly escaped when a cry split the air, "Stop!" It was one of the Kokiri, and he was running toward them.The trio made a mad dash for the exit, and barely made it.Their pursuer stopped at the log before the bridge, then turned and went back to his home.The boy at the entrance was still snoring as he walked away.

CHAPTER 3

It was midday as the trio exited the forest."So where to now, mercenary?" asked Wynn.

"I thought we might go to Zora's Domain.I know a guy there that owes me some money..."

"And you want back-up to make sure he pays," assumed Wynn.

"Right," said Tane.

******

They started hiking up the long trail to Zora's Domain."I thought Zora's Domain was frozen," stated Wynn.He had forgotten that fact, due to the thrill the idea of adventuring caused.

"It was. Then it started melting a few days ago, and melting very fast at that," Tane informed him.

"Well, I knew the river had started rising. Are you sure your friend will have defrosted by now?" Wynn asked.

"He will have, or I'll melt him out myself!"

They came to a point to where they had to cross the river.Tane jumped in and waded to the other side."Man, the water is _cold_!" he said, shivering.Fami made another hand gesture. A vine bridge grew between the two banks of the river. Wynn smiled at her, amused. "Why couldn't she do that _before_ I jumped in?" Tane murmured to himself.

The heroes journeyed up the trail, undisturbed until, suddenly there was a splash of water.When Wynn turned to face in the direction of the sound, a rock hit him on the head. He fell to the ground.Fami gestured, and a vine whipped out, snaring the monster that had spit the rock at Wynn, dragging it onto solid ground.Tane drew his sword.The monster, an octopus-shaped creature with four tentacles, didn't even realize what hit it. "Octorocs," said Tane, not talking to anyone in particular.Fami was helping Wynn stand up.Tane turned, and they continued up the trail. They crossed the river several more times, and killed a few more octorocs.Eventually they came to the end of the trail.However, they could not enter the domain, because a waterfall happened to be between them and the entrance.

"So how do we get through that?" inquired Wynn.

"Simple," answered Tane, "we just jump through it..." And with that he leaped into the waterfall.Unfortunately, he had underestimated the strength of the waterfall, and that mistake resulted in his being swept downstream. "Yaaaaa....!"

"Wait here," Wynn instructed Fami, dashing back downstream to save his partner.

******

A little while later, Wynn and Tane once again reached the end of the trail, carrying a large log.When Fami questioned them as to why, they responded by pushing the log through the waterfall to the entrance of Zora's Domain, creating a bridge.Tane crossed it first, then waited as Fami crossed.Wynn brought up the rear, and together they entered Zora's Domain.

******

The splendor of Zora's Domain shocked Wynn and his companions.It was a colossal cavern,lit by torches.The majority of it was taken up by a pool of water, fed by a huge waterfall.The pool of water, however, was nearly covered by ice floes.

Near the entrance were several Zoras, half-fish and half-human.They were huddled together, apparently trying to keep warm. "Have any of you seen Zaruu?" asked Tane. They all shook their heads, save one, who mutely pointed to a path winding up a hill. "Thanks," Tane said.

When they reached the top of the trail, they saw two Zoras conversing.One was old, large, and had gone fat, the other was a young female.The male was sitting, and was wearing a crown.The female was probably about the same age as Wynn.She was pretty, with a pleasant face, and intelligent eyes.She was the first to notice the newcomers, and stared at them curiously.When Wynn met her eyes, she smiled at him coyly.

"Who are you?" demanded the one with the crown.

Tane bowed to him, and said, "Your excellence, I am the humble soldier-for-hire Tane, and these are my companions Wynn and Fami." Fami snorted at the word 'humble', then curtsied. Wynn bowed."We have come seeking Zaruu," Tane added.

"He is gone to fight the monster that is in Zora's Fountain,"said the Zora, who was obviously King Zora.

"Monster?" questioned Wynn.

"Yes, monster. It is the Zess, a serpent monster responsible for the freezing of our guardian deity, Jabu-Jabu.He had returned after seven years absence, but suddenly the fountain started to freeze!The Zess is certainly the cause!" said the king.

"Zaruu, the braggart, said that he could slay the beast alone.He isn't going to be able kill it by himself!" the female said in a silky voice.'"Perhaps you could lend him a hand?"

Tane thought for a second, then turned to his companions.Wynn nodded."Okay, we'll help him kill the monster," Tane said.

The king and the girl looked at each other, then the girl motioned to them.They walked up a path to where she and the king were, and then followed her into a path out of the cavern.

Soon, they reached the fountain.Sure enough, there was a lone Zora standing with a drawn sword. "Zaruu!" Tane yelled, then rushed to meet his old friend.

"You wait here," Wynn told Fami.She started to object, but thought better of it.

"Wait," said the female Zora, grabbing Wynn's arm. "I just wanted to tell you...good luck out there."

"Thanks.I'll be sure to not get hurt by that thing, miss..." Wynn said.

"Nerah.I am called Nerah," she replied, smiling. Wynn smiled back, then went to talk to his partner.

She watched as he walked away, then sighed. "He sure is...nice," she finally said.

"Yes he is," the girl that had been introduced as Fami said.She was glaring at Nerah angrily.

"So are you two...?" she asked innocently.

"Not yet," Fami said, and turned to face Wynn as he prepared for battle.Nerah stuck her tongue out at Fami behind her back.

******

Meanwhile, Wynn, who was totally oblivious to the conversation that had gone on, was listening to his partner talk to Zaruu.

"So, why are you here?" asked Zaruu.

"To bail you out of this mess you are in," Tane said.

"I can handle it, Tane.Just stay out of my way and don't get hurt," Zaruu said, and walked out onto the ice.

"Idiot.Probably has a bet on this with Panu," Tane muttered.

Suddenly, a roar came from under the ice sheet they were standing on.With an explosion ofice and cold water, the Zess emerged from the water.It was an immense serpent, but it had spiked gills.It had fangs longer than Wynn's arms, and was about as big around as the logs in the woods.It's eyes focused on the Zora on the ice.Oddly, it had a third eye, centered above the other two.It glowed red.But as Wynn watched it, a membrane nictitated over it, protecting it.It lunged at the Zora, trying to bite him.Zaruu dodged, and slashed at it with his sword.His sword clanged off its armored scales.It hissed, and exhaled a frigid cloud.When the cloud reached Zaruu, he froze solid.

"This is not good," observed Wynn.

With a yell, Tane charged into battle, Wynn right behind him.The Zess lunged at them, but they dodged.It dove back underwater.Then its tail whipped out of the water.It was covered in sharp spikes."This is even worse," said Tane.The tail smashed into the ice, narrowly missing the adventurers.Wynn saw the frozen Zaruu sink under the water.The monster's head resurfaced, and it again lunged at them.Wynn went to the right, and Tane went to the left.The monster's fangs slammed into the ice, and became stuck there.Tane slashed with his sword, targeting its gills.The monster roared in pain.Wynn followed Tane's example, thrusting his sword deep into the gill.The Zess shuddered, and its eyes closed, except for the red one, which opened wide.Wynn knew what he had to do.He quickly hoisted himself onto the monster's forehead. He raised his sword high over his head, and then drove it deep into the eye.The monster's head raised high into the air, and it started thrashing wildly.Wynn was tossed from its head.He sailed through the air, until he landed near Nerah and Fami.

"Wynn!" Fami cried out in fear.

Meanwhile, Tane was watching the monster.It was roaring, mortally wounded.It then hissed, and sunk back into the water it had risen from.

Fami went to Wynn's side. He wasn't moving. "Oh Wynn!" she sobbed.

"Stand back," Nerah instructed.When she stepped back, Nerah knelt next to Wynn, and fell into a deep concentration.A pink light lit up the air, bathing Wynn in its glow.Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and Wynn's eyes snapped open.

"Ouch," he said gingerly.Nerah laughed, and Fami ran to him and hugged him. "Gently, please," he said when she squeezed him too tightly.

The water the Zess had sunk into suddenly skyrocketed in temperature, going from freezing to boiling.As Tane jogged to get off the ice, he said to himself, "At least I won't have to melt him myself."

******

Soon the ice had nearly melted.Night was upon the fountain, yet the four stayed outside.Zaruu hadn't resurfaced.Fami was asleep.Nerah had walked over to a wooden fence near the entrance, and had talked to a Zora behind it.A gate had opened in the fence, and she had walked through it, following the Zora down a path.Wynn started a conversation, to try prevent becoming bored."So, how do you know Zaruu?" he asked quietly.

"We once worked together to kill some monsters.He needed money for a debt, so I lent him my half of the profit,"Tane replied.

"And he never paid it back?" asked Wynn.

"That is why I'm here," said Tane.

Suddenly something burst from the water directly in front of the platform they were standing on.It was a giant fish, decorated with jewels. "Uhhhh...let's hope that is Jabu-Jabu," said Tane cautiously.

"I think it is.My father once told me about him, and this big guy looks a lot like my father's description."

Next to the deity, Zaruu surfaced with a splash.He swam up to the platform and climbed up."Okay, maybe I needed a little help."

"Pay up then, pal," Tane said, smiling.

"Sure." Zaruu reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out five red rupees. "Here it is.One-hundred rupees."With a giant smile, Tane took the rupees from his old friend.

"Thanks, thanks a lot," he said.

Suddenly, a Zora emerged from the gate in the fence, along with Nerah."Tane, buddy!" he shouted, acting very friendly.Something in Tane's eyes changed.

"Panu," Tane said, and didn't sound very happy.

"Who is he?" Wynn whispered to Nerah.

"He is Panu, resident gambler and card-shark. He came straight up here when I mentioned Tane's name to some friends.He was down at the school," she whispered, and turned to listen to Tane and Panu talk.

"So, how is my favorite gambling partner?" asked Panu.

"Fine," said Tane coldly.

"That is good to know.So, do you remember the last time we gambled?" Panu asked innocently.

"Unfortunately, yes," Tane said, a mute complaint in his voice.

"So, do you remember who won?I do."

"Here's your money, Panu," Tane said angrily, handing over the rupees he had just taken from Zaruu.

"My friend, you seem to be a few rupees short."

"Short? You only won a hundred!"

"Interest, my friend, interest," Panu said, smiling evilly.

Tane sighed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Fifty rupees."

"I don't have fifty rupees!"

"Get it soon, or it will be another hundred."

Tane looked pleadingly at his partner. "Okay.Here." Wynn handed Panu his last fifty rupees.

"Pleasure doing business with you.Perhaps you would like to gamble a bit now?"

"No thanks," Tane said with a sneer.

******

The adventurers returned together to the Zora's Domain.They returned to the spot at which they had first seen King Zora, except for Nerah, who remained standing by the king's side."Your Highness, Jabu-Jabu has returned, and the Zess is no more," stated Tane.

"You slayedit?" the king asked.

"Well, actually, Wynn was the one to deliver the final blow," Tane admitted.The king smiled.

"I must reward you for such a daring deed." Tane smiled at that remark from the king. "But how can I ever reward you?"

"Well, sir, we do need rupees..." Tane said.But his remark was ignored.King Zora was listening to Nerah, who was whispering in his ear.

"Wonderful idea!" roared the king joyfully. "Nerah has proposed that she join you.It is time for her to leave the domain and explore the world, and she would be a valuable addition to your team!"

"But..." said Tane, desperate to prevent that from happening.Wynn's eyebrows lifted.Fami scowled.

"Don't worry, it is no trouble at all.You may also spend the night in the domain.Nerah, please show them to their quarters," said the king graciously.

Nerah smiled, and said, "Follow me." The trio of adventurers followed her to their rooms.Wynn could tell that the new addition to their group wasn't very welcome by his partners, but perhaps she would eventually be excepted.She seemed pretty nice, anyway...

CHAPTER 4

Wynn could see his house.His family lived on a hill that was dotted with trees.He could remember growing up in that house, helping his father rebuild a fence, eating at the table while talking to his mother.Now, the house was afire.He was running toward the house at full speed.He could see the figures of men scurrying about, carrying torches and swords.He charged at one, swinging his sword wildly.He fought valiantly, but they outnumbered him.A sword cut into the armor his father had given him, but didn't injure Wynn.He dashed past the men, probably mercenaries, and ran to his house.Instead of his parents, he saw a giant figure dressed in silver armor holding a giant ax.The figure turned to face him. "You are too late, little one," the figure said, and laughed sadistically.Wynn lunged, but the figure swung his ax, hitting Wynn with the flat side.Wynn succumbed to the darkness.He then woke up, screaming in fear and frustration.

******

A little after sunrise the next morning, the four adventurers left Zora's Domain.Nerah shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight. "Where to, now, Tane?" she asked.

"I don't know**,**" Tane answered.

"I think we should go to the marketplace.The carpenter boss still owes me rupees, and since we are currently broke," Wynn said, glaring at Tane, "we can see if he is able to pay up." And so they made their way down the river.The octorocs left them alone, since quite a few of them had learned of the adventurers strength the hard way the day before.

"Hey, Tane, did you hear screaming this morning?" asked Fami curiously.when Tane shook his head, she sighed, and said, "I must have been hearing things."

When they reached the bottom of the river, they started walking toward the Hyrule Market.Wynn was leading them.They soon arrived at the marketplace, and crossed the drawbridge.Wynn could see the figures of the carpenters in the market: carrying lumber, rebuilding a roof, painting a wall.Then he spotted the carpenter boss, who was barking orders to his workers.Wynn walked toward him."I'm back for my rupees."

"You say you want your rupees, young man?" the carpenter boss repeated.

"You didn't tell me he was deaf," said Tane mockingly.

"Young man, you had better develop a better taste in partners, or you will start working alone very quickly," threatened the carpenter boss.

"The name is Wynn, and I want my rupees.Now, if possible," said Wynn.

"Well, you are lucky.I have just received partial payment for this job," he said, motioning to the rebuilding efforts in progress."Here are your rupees," he said, and gave Wynn three purple rupees, worth fifty rupees apiece.

"Thanks for your business," Wynn said, smiling.

******

The adventurers left the marketplace together."Where to now, Tane?" asked Wynn.

"Howz about we go up to Death Mountain?I have this treasure map and..."

"Tane, do you remember what we got from your last treasure map?" Wynn asked, pointing back at Fami.

"Yeah, well, I know this is a real treasure map.Anyway, you didn't seem to complain when she joined us," Tane said.

Wynn blushed, and lightly punched Tane, telling him, "Shut up."

"Boys, where are we going?" asked Fami, her hands on her hips.

"We are going to go to Death Mountain, but first we are going to stop by Kakariko Village," Tane informed her.

"A village? Wow! Is it anything like Kokiri Village?" asked Fami excitedly.

Nerah rolled her eyes, and said, "If that is where you are from, let's hope not."Suddenly, she tripped with a cry."Where did that vine come from?" she asked, incredulous.Fami smiled innocently.

******

When they entered Kakariko Village, they could sense something was wrong.Cries of battle sounded in the air, and some of the residents were running toward the source of the yells.Tane and Wynn drew their swords, and started running to the battle."Wait up!" yelled Fami, and ran to catch up with them, Nerah right behind her.

The battle was taking place at the beginning of the Death Mountain Trail.Some of the villagers had picked up weapons, such as the pitchfork held by the Bazaar, the bow and arrows held by the Shooting Gallery owner, and the club held by the Potion Shop owner.They were using them to keep a large group of monsters at bay.The monsters resembled spiders, but had only four legs and one eye.They were lunging at the townspeople. "Tekitites!" Tane yelled, and Wynn nodded.

A tekitite lunged at the Potion Shop owner, jaws clacking.He swung at it with his club, but missed.It slammed into him, bowling him over.Suddenly, a male figure leaped from the roof of one of the houses next to the battle.The figure drew a short sword and slammed it into the eye of the tekitite.The tekitite shrieked, and died.The figure turned, and dispatched another tekitite with a quick flash of his blade.Wynn and Tane leapt into battle, slashing with their swords rapidly. Fami made a hand gesture, and a vine sprouted under a tekitite, wrapping itself around the monster.Another of the monsters received the same treatment.The two vines slammed the monsters together, so hard their carapaces cracked and they died.Nerah picked up a large rock and threw it at a tekitite, which was squashed.

Abruptly, the battle was over.The tekitites fled for the trail.One last monster fell to the careful aim of the Shooting Gallery owner, and then they were gone.The townspeople wiped their brows, then returned to their jobs or homes.The figure that had saved the owner of the Potion Shop turned, and prepared to leap straight up, as if to jump back to the rooftop he had jumped into battle from. "Wait!" yelled Wynn.The figure stopped, and turned to face them. "I saw you save that man, and I was wondering...who are you?".

"I am named Jier," answered the figure.He was tall, and wiry.He was dressed in solid black.On his chest was a symbol, something resembling an eye, in red.His face was covered in a mask.

"Nice to meet you, Jier.I am Wynn, this is my partner Tane, she is Fami, and she is Nerah," he said, motioning to each of them in turn. Jier nodded to each.

"So, Jier, do you live in the village?" Tane asked suspiciously.

"I...I am here temporarily," Jier responded cautiously.

"Really?So, you look like you are someone good to have on your side in a battle.Perhaps you would like to join us?That is, if you aren't doing anything else..." Wynn offered.

Jier started to shake his head no, but stopped.His head cocked to the side, as if listening to voice that only he could hear. "All right," he agreed.

"Great!Now on to Death Mountain!" Wynn said enthusiastically.

"Not now.It is too dangerous now," Jier said quietly.

"Okay, then where do we go?" asked Nerah.

Wynn thought for a second. "We go to Gerudo Valley," he declared.

******

So the five heroes left for Gerudo Valley.It was a long hike, so it took them most of the day.It was evening by the time they reached Gerudo Valley.

"Wow," was all Wynn could say when he saw Gerudo Valley.Gerudo Valley was a giant chasm, carved by the fast flowing river that lied at its bottom.It was narrow, but very deep.The group of adventurers stood for a moment, gawking at the splendor and beauty of the valley.

They moved on shortly thereafter.They crossed a bridge over the valley, then walked on toward Gerudo Fortress. "So, Wynn, why are we here?" asked Tane.

"I have heard that there is treasure in the Spirit Temple, which is just past the Haunted Wasteland.We can get there by going through a gate in the fortress."

They could see the gate leading into the desert.Suddenly, a woman's figure leaped from the ledge next to them.She landed right in front of Wynn.She was dressed in purple, and was carrying a spear with a scimitar blade on the end, which she pointed at Wynn. "Halt!" she yelled.They stopped. "You are now prisoners of the Gerudo.You," she said, indicating Wynn, Tane, and Jier with a sweep of her hand, "will be taken into the fortress and will be kept as prisoners.If one of us decides that she desires you as a consort,she will take you.You two are free to leave," she said, indicating Nerah and Fami.

"Forget that!' Wynn shouted, and drew his sword.Tane and Jier did likewise.With a yell, several other Gerudo jumped from the ledge.They had surrounded the adventurers.With a sweep ofher scimitar, the Gerudo in front of Wynn knocked his sword from his hands.Tane and Jier were treated in the same manner.

"Surrender," demanded the Gerudo, a gleam in her eye.

"I would suggest that that be what you do," said Fami.

"You are brave, for a child," said the Gerudo, "but it will do you no good.Without training, you cannot defeat us."

"Then prepare for battle," said Nerah, raising her arms above her head.Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sun.A blast of wind assailed the Gerudo, and rain accompanied it.The Gerudos could hardly see, let alone fight.Thick vines sprouted under them, picking them up and hurling them against the ledge wall.Soon, not a single Gerudo was left standing.

"Good job," said Fami, smiling at Nerah.

"Thanks.You were pretty good too," Nerah responded generously.Meanwhile, Wynn, Tane, and Jier stood gazing in shock at their companions.

"Why didn't you tell us you could do that when we met you?" asked Wynn to Nerah.She smiled.

"I'm full of suprises," she said, smiling evilly.

"I bet," said Fami rather sarcastically.

Suddenly, a Gerudo landed in front of them.She, however, was unarmed."Impressive.You are very skilled,"she said, speaking to Fami and Nerah and ignoring the guys.She looked at the defeated Gerudos. "Pitiful," she sneered.

"I hope you don't try the same as those losers.You don't stand a chance," said Nerah.

"You are over-confident, young one.But you were able to beat my guards, so you are very strong. You deserve an honorary membership to our group.You may spend the night at our fortress, if you wish." She smiled at the girls. "Your consorts may spend the night also."

Nerah smiled wickedly. "I am the only one to be able to claim having a consort.Poor Fami here doesn't have a one," she said, going to stand next to Wynn.

Fami growled at her, and started to move to wring Nerah's neck."That isn't true!" she said.

"Oh really?" said Wynn, stepping away from Nerah.

"Well...she doesn't have one either!" protested Fami, stepping next to Wynn.

"You don't know that," Nerah said, going to stand at Wynn's other side.Wynn's mouth dropped open.Tane looked at him, trying to decide between feeling rejected or relieved.He decided to feel pity, for poor Wynn.Jier watched****impassively.The Gerudo watched, a smile tugging at the sides of her mouth.

"Perhaps you should decide this later.Night is falling, and you should come inside," the Gerudo said.So the adventurers followed her, with Fami and Nerah arguing the whole way.

******

The adventurers ate in the Gerudo Fortress.Nerah and Fami were invited to eat at the table with the Gerudos, while Jier, Wynn, and Tane were forced to eat alone.The Gerudo gave the girls fine food, while the guys ate leftovers. "Why are they treating us like dirt and treating the girls like queens?" inquired Tane.

"It is how the Gerudo treat almost all men.The Gerudo only have a male child every hundred years.That child becomes king.However, all non-Gerudo men are treated as inferiors, since few can stand up to the power of a trained Gerudo warrior,"Jier told him.

"So.That's why.We might as well ignore it, and then leave in the morning," said Wynn, taking another bite.Soon, they were finished with their meal, but had to wait on Fami and Nerah to finish eating.They could hear the girls' conversation."So, Nerah, what is your destination?" one Gerudo asked.

"We were hoping to visit the Spirit Temple." Nerah responded, taking a bite of a steak.

"I think that you may not know that to get there, you must go through the desert.You must face quicksand and blistering heat before you can even come close to the temple.Few have survived getting there," said the apparent leader of the Gerudo.

"Oh really?" asked Fami, frowning at Wynn.Wynn shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes.By the way, would you be interested in selling one of your males?There is only two of you and three of them."

Fami turned, and pointed at Tane, but before she could name a price,Nerah cut her off."No thanks."Nerah said gently.

Soon, the girls were finished.One of the Gerudo pointed them toward their rooms for the night."Second door on the right,"she said.

The adventurers left the table and walked toward their room.Jier was in front, and Tane dashed to catch up with him. "Hey, Jier, I wanted to ask you something," Tane stated.He caught up with Jier and started talking rapidly. "You know, I have explored a lot, and I was going to ask you, what is that symbol on your chest?I think I have seen it somewhere."Jier thought for a second, and started to reply.He didn't get the chance.Right before the door to their room, in the hall, was a tripwire.Jier hit it, but was agile enough to hit the ground rolling, out of the way of any traps.Tane, however, was a different story.He fell flat on his face.A net fell from the ceiling onto him.Right after it was a Gerudo, who landed in front of the of Tane, who was struggling futilely.

"Not again..." groaned Wynn, referring to the Gerudo attempts to capture them.

"You are my prisoner now," said the Gerudo.She was younger than the other Gerudo, about the same age as Tane, which put her a year older than Wynn.She was dressed in clothes of a dark blue. Like most other Gerudo,she had red hair down to her waist.She had no weapons.She was smiling at the struggling form of Tane, but her mouth dropped open in shock suddenly. "You weren't the one I was trying to catch!" she said, amazed.

"I was." said Jier from behind her.She turned, looked at Jier, looked at Tane, and frowned.

"Just my luck.I catch the most worthless of them all," she said to no one at all.

"Thanks." Tane said sarcastically, standing up.

"Be quiet, servant," said the Gerudo.

"Servant!I ain't nobody's servant, sister," said Tane.The Gerudo responded by sweeping his leg out from under him with hers, sending Tane sprawling to the floor once again.

"Shut up," she demanded.

"Who are you?" asked Nerah.

"I am Shezarah, of the Gerudo," the Gerudo said impassively.

Tane grumbled at her from the floor. He tried to stand up, but failed.

"I was trying to catch a slave, but instead I catch a male not worth keeping," she said.

"Hey!" protested Tane, climbing to his feet and starting to back away.

"Where do you think you are going?" the Gerudo demanded of him.

"Well, you said I wasn't worth keeping, so I am leaving," he replied.

"I did not release you," she said.He watched her warily.

"Shezarah, he is my partner, and a help to me and my friends.We won't leave him behind," Wynn stated.

"He is now my property.If you wish, you may battle for him, but I would capture you as well," she said, smiling. "Perhaps you are worth more than it is."Tane frowned at being called an it.

"You can't have him!" said Fami, stepping in front of Wynn.Nerah nodded her head in agreement.

"Is there any other way we can get him?" asked Jier gently.

"You could buy him," said Shezarah.

Wynn frowned. "How much?"

"He is not for sale," she stated matter-of-factly. Shezarah thought for a second. "What is your destination?"

"We were going to the Spirit Temple, but now I guess we are going to Death Mountain in the morning," Wynn told her.

"Then my servant and I will join you," she said, and there was no request in her voice. "You may spend the night with your friends, but tomorrow you will start serving me full time,"she told Tane.

And then she left them without another word.Tane had a look of dismay on his face as he watched her go. "It will be okay, Tane.I'll get you out of this," Wynn assured him. They entered their room.It had two beds, and three dirty cushions on the floor.Without saying anything, Wynn and Jier settled onto their cushions on the floor.

"I hate Gerudos," Tane protested, and settled down onto the remaining cushion.The girls got into their beds.

Wynn couldn't sleep that night.He had too much on his mind:his parents' burning house, Fami and Nerah, and the Spirit Temple whirled in and out of his thoughts.He watched his friends, he had come to think of them as friends, in their sleep.He watched Fami breathe quietly.Tane was restless, and was constantly rolling over, dreaming.Jier slept soundlessly.Nerah snored peacefully, but not loudly.

He sighed, and rolled over.Soon, even with his troubled thoughts, he slept, and for once in a long time, didn't dream.

CHAPTER 5

The sun rose over Gerudo Valley.Everyone there was awake, except for one person, who was still lazily sleeping. "Wake up, Wynn!" Fami shouted, for the fifth time.

"ZZZ...zzz...Hm?...Huh?" Wynn mumbled, slowly waking up.

"WAKE UP!" shouted Nerah.

"What? What?" asked Wynn, finally sitting up.

"The Gerudo have food for us, and then we are leaving," Jier informed him.

Wynn moaned, and got up. "Okay, let's eat.

******

At the Gerudo's table, Wynn noticed a face that wasn't there before.It was the face of Shezarah.It seemed that she was being congratulated.The first hint was when she had pointed at Tane and said, "He is the one, the one I captured."The others then patted her on the back.

"I had hoped she would forget," Tane groaned pitifully.

"Its okay, we said we would get you out of this." reassured Fami, finishing the conversation before going over to the Gerudo's table.

"Hey, Wynn, are we going to Death Mountain next?" asked Nerah, changing the subject.

"I guess.Unless, of course, there is anywhere else we need to go," he replied.

"Well..." she hesitated.

"Do you want to stop somewhere?" he prompted.

"You know, since we are in a desert, and I have lived my whole life in water, I am drying out.A nice dip in some cool water would definitely help.And also, you all need a break, especially poor Tane.So I thought, why not stop by Lake Hylia?It is only a short distance from here, and we could get some well deserved rest," she proposed.

Wynn started to refuse.His journey was very important to him.He _needed _all the rupees he could get,unlike Tane, who only desired them.But he reconsidered the idea.He couldn't slay many monsters without rest.Especially huge ones dressed in silver armor carrying axes."Sure," he accepted.Nerah gave him a big smile, and walked to the Gerudo's table.Hey, he thought, spending some time with her or Fami wouldn't be so bad...

******

And so they left for Lake Hylia.Everyone seemed cheery, except for one person.Tane.Shezarah hung around him, and gave him endless orders.He was getting a little mad, but couldn't object.He knew better.Especially since she had brought her scimitar/spear thing.If she wasn't so bossy, he thought, it wouldn't be so bad to be around her.She was pretty, and seemed smart.He realized that a grand irony was that, the day before, he had pitied Wynn for having to put up with Fami and Nerah.Now, he was the one deserving pity.He almost envied Jier, who wasn't being pursued or ordered around.

Meanwhile, Wynn was leading the way toward Lake Hylia.Fami and Nerah were standing behind him, one on each side.They were of course fighting each other in whispers he pretended not to hear.He had wisely chosen to ignore them.

After a while, they arrived at Lake Hylia.It was a large lake with an island in the center.The beaches looked great, and the water sparkled.A building was near them, and another was on another beach, a good distance away.Nerah squealed at the sight of the lake, and rushed to get in. "Come on!" she shouted to everyone, but mainly Wynn.Fami followed her, but Wynn hesitated.

"You coming?" he asked the remaining adventurers.

"Sure!" said Tane.

"No.You are to practice your swordplay with me, servant." Shezarah commanded him.

"But..." Tane protested.

"Come with me," she told him, and started out on a bridge that led out to the island.

"I should accompany them.I will rest, and prevent them killing each other," Jier said, the look in his eyes hinting a smile under his mask.

"You do that," Wynn replied, and watched him follow Tane and Shezarah.He then joined Fami and Nerah in the water.

******

They stayed at the lake all day.It was late afternoon when something disrupted their fun.And violently at that.

Wynn was laying on the beach, snoozing.Fami was building a miniature, sandy version of Hyrule Castle on the beach near Wynn.Shezarah and Tane were still sparring, sweating in the sun.Jier was watching them silently.Nerah was swimming.She was nearly surfing.She would ride a wave, swim back into the water, and ride another wave in.However, it seemed that she was creating the waves, since her's were the only waves in the lake.

They were so busy having fun, sleeping, or watching to notice the dark clouds forming over the entrance to Hyrule Field.But they certainly noticed when several monsters came to the lake from the field.The monsters were human-formed, but looked like skeletons carrying swords and shields.They split up, five of the ten dashing onto the bridge to the island, and five running toward Wynn and Fami.The heroes got up, drew their weapons if they had any, and prepared for battle.

The ones on the bridge reached their targets first, dashing headlong into battle.Tane yelled, "Stalfos!"Jier ran toward the monsters, correctly identified by Tane as Stalfos.The first Stalfos in line swung at him with its sword.He dodged, and pushed the Stalfos off the bridge.He then stabbed the next in line with his short sword.Two of the monsters dashed past him.Suddenly, the remaining Stalfos were swept into the lake by a wave.

"Thanks," he said to Nerah, who was the cause of the giant wave.

Meanwhile, Tane and Shezarah were defending themselves against the Stalfos.Tane drew his ax.The Stalfos stabbed at him, but Tane dodged, twirling out of the way.He swung his ax, burying it in the monster's backbone.The Stalfos crumbled.He looked at Shezarah as her scimitar blade destroyed the other monster.She looked at the remains of his Stalfos. "Satisfactory," was her only word.

Wynn was still battling Stalfos.One had fallen to Fami's magic, and he had destroyed one.Another charged at him.He blocked it with his sword, and kicked it away.Another jumped at him.He moved out of its way, and stabbed it in its back.The last one standing was not armed like the others.It carried a mace, a spiked ball on a short piece of wood.It had stayed back during the battle.It attacked with its mace.Even though it stood several feet away, it nearly hit him.Clever, thought Wynn.A chain attached to the spiked ball, concealed in the piece of wood.It was probably released by pressing a button.Using the distraction, the Stalfos he had kicked jumped at him.At the same time, the other used the chained mace.Wynn grabbed the jumping Stalfos, pushing it in front of him. The mace hit it, killing it.There was one last Stalfos.It threw its chained mace at him. He ducked, and it went over his head.He grabbed the chain and pulled it, yanking the Stalfos toward him.As it neared him, he slashed it with his sword.Wynn looked around, satisfied. "Very good, little one." A voice said from behind him.Wynn's blood turned into ice.That voice!He whirled. . 

"You!" he cried hoarsely.It was the figure dressed in silver armor.

"Yes, it is I.I am Silver Knuckle, leader of the Iron Knuckles and lieutenant to the wizard Icarnos.You, however, are Wynn, son of Baro," the figure said.

Wynn flinched at the mention of his father. "You will pay for what you did to my parents!" he yelled, drawing his sword.

Silver Knuckle pulled out his ax. "You are foolish.It will be easy to finish what I have started, as my master instructs me,"he swung his ax at Wynn.Wynn ducked, but he wasn't Silver Knuckle's target.His sword was, and it was knocked from his hand.Silver Knuckle laughed.Wynn could see his eyes.They glowed a deep red, like dried blood.However, Wynn could not make out a face behind the mask of the armor.

"Prepare to meet your parents," he told Wynn.He swung his ax, but Wynn dashed out of the way.Wynn grabbed the chained mace.Silver Knuckle swung his ax at him again.Wynn barely moved out of the way in time.He released the spiked ball, and it clanged against the armor of Silver Knuckle.He roared, and swung wildly.Wynn released the ball again.Silver Knuckle roared in anger, and started swinging even more wildly.This is easy, Wynn thought, just-

Silver Knuckle hit him with the flat side of his ax, and Wynn flew through the air, landing a few feet away.

Fami watched him fall, and Silver Knuckle walk over to him.She was exhausted, but had to complete this spell.

Silver Knuckle raised his ax high over his head.Before he could swing it, however, a thick vine wrapped itself around his waist. It extended itself, hoisting Silver Knuckle high over the lake.Silver Knuckle roared furiously, and slashed at it with his ax.It connected, and Silver Knuckle plummeted into the lake, then sunk like a rock.

Fami fell to the ground in exhaustion.That had been a horribly draining spell.She pulled herself up, and crawled to Wynn's side.He hadn't moved. "Wynn?" she said, gently shaking him. "Wake up," she begged, and laid her head on his chest. "Please wake up."There was no response.

******

Much later, the adventurerswere gathered around a fire in Hyrule Field.Wynn was now conscious, and was staring into the fire, deep in thought.All the energy they had had earlier in the day seemed sapped from them.Even Nerah was solemn.It was Fami that finally asked.

"Who was that guy, the one with the ax?" she asked quietly.

"He is Silver Knuckle.He is the one responsible for my parents death," Wynn replied.

"Why did he attack us?" asked Shezarah.

"He said something about finishing what he started.I think he meant killing me," Wynn answered.

"Then why did his Stalfos attack us?" Tane asked.

Wynn looked at him. "I don't know.He was mainly interested in me, if you care.You probably don't if you are anything like the other mercenaries I have met.All you probably care about is yourself and how full your pockets are."

"Wynn!" Fami said, shocked by his rudeness.

"Well, if all I cared about was myself, would I have helped you kill the Zess?" Tane retorted.

"You only did that to get your rupees from Zaruu!" Wynn yelled.

Tane stood up, angry and upset. "I did it to help you, partner!" he said, saying the last word with sarcasm. "Anyway, it isn't like you risked your neck to save me from her!" he yelled, pointing to Shezarah.She looked hurt, but neither Tane nor Wynn noticed.

"Ha!Your neck isn't worth saving, mercenary!" he said, spitting out the last word like a curse.

"I'm out of here, if my partner considers me that low!" Tane said, and with that he was gone.

"I'll go talk to him," Shezarah said, a note of concern in her voice.But Jier stopped her, shaking his head.

"He needs to be alone," Jier told her.

Meanwhile, Fami walked over to Wynn and sat down next to him. "Why are you so angry with him?" she asked, concerned for him.

"He is a mercenary!They are all scum!" he said.

"Well, I know most are, but he seemed nice." Fami said, in a soothing voice.

"Forget it!" he said, turning away from her.

"Why do you have such a low opinion of mercenaries?" Nerah asked, sitting across the fire from him.Shezarah sat down next to her.

"It is a long story," he responded.

"We have all the time in the world," Nerah told him.He started:

"I grew up in a small house on a hill overlooking Zora's River.I was happy.I lived with my mother and father. My father was a farmer.I helped around the farm, but worked odd jobs for the Gorons, who lived in a city above us, on Death Mountain.One day, I was returning home from Goron City, not finding any work since all the Gorons except a small child, a friend, were gone.There was smoke in the air above my house, but I thought my father was merely burning something.I was wrong.When I got to my house, it was burning.Mercenaries were all over the place, stealing what they could.The person who had decided to attack my home had expected heavy resistance, and had got it, with the number of wounded mercenaries lying around.I fought through the mercenaries, and made it to my burning house.That, that _monster_, was standing in front of my house.My parents were nowhere to be found.I fought him, but I lost.He knocked me unconscious.When I woke up, he was gone.I made my way to Kakariko Village.I had to do a few jobs, in order to earn enough to eat off of, and I then I met Tane.You know the rest."

Fami patted him on the back, and put her arm around his shoulders."It is okay."

"How sad," Nerah agreed.Shezarah nodded.

To change the subject, Fami started telling her own life story.

"I grew up in Kokiri Village.I knew everyone there.However, I stood out from the others. I was growing up.The Kokiri never grow up.It was then that I left the for the Lost Woods.I guess I was brought to the village by my parents.I lived in the woods by myself for several years.My only friends were the Skull Kids.They were funny, and loved playing the flute."

Wynn snorted. "I think Tane met one."

Fami smiled, then finished her story. "I eventually tired of living alone.So when I met Tane and you, I decided to join you."

Wynn smiled at her.Nerah coughed loudly, and started talking.

"I grew up in Zora's Domain.My best friend growing up was Princess Ruto. We were with each other constantly.The king started calling me the Duchess of the domain.I went to school every day, and got good grades.You may have seen the entryway behind the gate at the fountain.One day, however, every thing got cold. Real cold.The domain froze over, and I was trapped in the ice.A week or so ago, the domain melted, and I was released.Then the fountain started to freeze!We were all afraid we were going to freeze again, but, thanks to Wynn, the monster responsible for the freezing of the fountain is dead.The Zoras may return to their old lives.I, however, decided to go with Wynn.He was brave enough to slay the Zess, and I had no reason to stay at the domain.My best friend, Ruto, has left the domain."

Wynn gave her a small smile. "So, that's why you came with us."

She started to give another reason, but Fami cut her off. "So, Jier, would you like to tell your story?" she asked.

"I...I can't," Jier stuttered.The others didn't pressure him.

"So, Shezarah, how about you?" Nerah asked.

Shezarah looked at her, and started telling her story.

"I grew up in the fortress.My whole life I have trained to be a warrior.I lived with the other few children, in a secret compartment in the fortress, safe from any danger.I had a few friends, but not many.My mother has been training me since I was a small child. I never knew my father.I grew up training with my scimitar, bow, and a net.I am very good with my scimitar, and a deadly aim with my bow and arrows.I never miss with my net."

"But you missed me in the fortress," Jier spoke up.

"Don't tell Tane this, he will get an even bigger ego, but I didn't miss who I was aiming for," she said, winking.

******

Tane looked down in thought.He had not heard Shezarah's confession from his post over the heads of the others, on a ledge, but he had heard Wynn's.He shook his head in wonder.No wonder the kid got so angry at him.His life had been ruined by Silver Knuckle and his mercenaries.He had a reason to be angry.

Tane turned, and walked away from the ledge as Fami began her story.He had a headache, with his partner, the attack by the Stalfos, and...Shezarah, being the causes.

He went over to a tall patch of grass, laid down, and fell to sleep.Around the campfire, the others unintentionallyfollowed his example.

******

The lake's surface was calm, placid.It was the middle of the night, and all were asleep.The only animals awake were some birds that flew over the lake, cawing loudly. Then, the peace was disrupted.Something rose from the lake, walking to the shore.It was a Silver Knuckle.Every step he took was accompanied by a shrill squeak.Soon, he was gone, and peace returned.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Wynn woke up slowly.He was aware of the weight of someone leaning on each of his shoulders.He had fallen asleep sitting up.Fami and Nerah were still asleep.They were the ones leaning on his shoulders.Jier was asleep across from them, alone.Wynn gently shook Fami, trying to wake her up.She sighed, andhugged his shoulder more tightly."Wake up," he told her gently.Her eyes opened.

"Hello," she said, and closed her eyes.He shook her again.

"It is time to get up," he said.She yawned, and sat up.He repeated the process with Nerah, and soon both were awake.Jier awoke to the sound of their voices.They all stood, and began preparing breakfast.

"Where is Shezarah?" Wynn inquired, finally noticing her absence.

"I don't know.Maybe she went looking for Tane," Fami answered.

"I'll go look for her," Wynn said, and left.

After a few minutes of searching, he found both of them.They were asleep, on a patch of tall grass, snuggled together.Wynn smiled, and coughed loudly.Shezarah jumped up, awaking very quickly.She looked around, seeing Wynn, then Tane, and blushed guiltily.

"I went looking for him last night, since he was all alone.I found him here, but he looked cold, so I decided to help keep him warm," she explained.

"I bet," Wynn said sarcastically.Suddenly, Tane stirred, and woke up.He started rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Get up, servant," Shezarah said, her manner changing drastically.

"I am, I am," he said, trying to stand up.Wynn stuck out his hand, helping him to his feet.

"Tane, I apologize for what I said last night," Wynn said.

"It's okay.If I had been knocked around that bad, I would have been mad too," Tane accepted.

They rejoined the others, and ate their breakfast.When they finished, Fami turned to Wynn."Where to now?" she asked.

Wynn thought for a second, then replied, "Since Tane has another treasure map, I guess we go to Death Mountain."

******

Later, they once again walked through the gate of Kakariko Village.The village was, however, perfectly normal, with no attacks from monsters.They walked through the village, progressing toward the entrance to the Death Mountain Trail.Halfway there, Wynn saw a familiar face. "Hey, over here!" he shouted.

The stranger walked over to them.He appeared to be in his early twenties.He was wearing black clothes, with a black cape trailing in his wake.At his side he wore a short sword. "Wynn!How are you?" he said.

"Fine, Seron.And you?" Wynn asked.

"Forget me.Say, do you have the rupees yet?" he responded.

"Not yet, but I will be getting them soon.Oh, yeah, these are my friends.He is Tane, she is Shezarah, he is Jier, she is Nerah and she is Fami,"Wynn named his friends.

Seron smiled, then took Fami's hand and kissed it lightly.He did not acknowledge the others."A pleasure."

Fami smiled at him.He returned the smile whole-heartedly.

"I must go.See you later, Fami...and Wynn." And with that he was gone.

"Weird guy," Tane reported, obviously not impressed.

"He was nice," Fami said.Tane noticed Wynn had an odd look on his face, and was staring at Fami.Nerah had noticed it too, and was smiling.

They made their way up Death Mountain Trail.It was all uphill, and they soon became winded.They stopped, and took a break.After they rested, they finished climbing.They finally made it to the entrance to Goron City. "Hey, partner, how about we stop and visit some of my old Goron friends?" Wynn requested.

"Sure.We can rest some more, and I can ask about this treasure," Tane agreed.

They entered the city.It was a huge cave, with four floors.The floors were arranged indescending tiers.In front of them was a large rock. "Hello," Wynn said loudly as they walked past it.When the rock stood up and replied, Tane noticed the rock was actually a Goron.Gorons are the people that live in Goron City.They look like the rock that the mountain is made of.This provides excellent camouflage.

Wynn walked on, and then down a flight of stairs.They eventually came to the bottom floor.Standing close to the end of the stairs was a young Goron."Little hero!" yelled Wynn, and ran to greet the Goron.

The Goron looked at him, and smiled. "Wynn!" he said, and hugged Wynn tightly.Wynn then stepped back, speaking rapidly, "So, how are you, little hero?It has been awhile.Is your dad here?"

The Goron replied, "I'm fine, but dad is still gone.The others are back, though.Who are they?" he asked, pointing to Wynn's companions.

Wynn introduced them, then added, "They are some friends I met recently."

The Goron smiled, and said, "I'm Link of the Gorons.I was named after the old hero that killed the king of Dodongos."

Tane smiled at him, and pulled a piece of paper out of his pouch.It had scribbles that looked like they may represent something, and the words 'Treasure Map' written at the top.Tane handed it to Link. "Do you know anything about the treasure this map leads to?" he asked politely.

Link looked at the map, and laughed."I know about it, all right.I drew this map."

Tane looked at him anxiously, and asked, "You did?"

"Yep.I drew it with a few friends of mine, and we went on a treasure hunt," Link said, grinning.

Tane's face fell. "You mean that there isn't any treasure?"

"No.Did you think it was a real map?" Link asked, laughing.

Wynn glared at Tane."Good job, Tane."Tane blushed.

"Wynn!" a voice came from the stairs.Wynn turned.It was an adult Goron, running toward them down the stairs."Good to see you!"

"Been awhile, pal.I came to visit a while back, but no one was here but the little guy there.Where were you?" Wynn inquired curiously.

"You didn't hear?We were all captured by the servants of the evil Ganondorf, and were going to be fed to the dragon Volvagia.We were saved by the hero Link," the Goron informed him.

"You are joking!Wow.Well, it's good to hear you are all okay.So, where is Darunia?" he asked, referring to the leader of the Goron's.

"He isn't here now.So, are you looking for work?" the Goron inquired.

"Sure, since we are short on rupees.Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce my friends!" he said, and told him their names.

The Goron introduced himself, then said, "It's good you are looking for work.We need some help.A few days ago, about a day after the celebration when Ganondorf was killed, a Dinolfos came to our city.He ordered us to give him all our rupees.When we refused, he ordered his men to destroy our crop of Bomb Flowers, which we had just planted.We were helpless to stop him.He then threatened that next time he would destroy our city, and left, saying he would give us time to reconsider.We were going to sell those plants.Without the crop, things could get difficult for the city.If Big Brother Darunia had been here, he could have stopped them, but he wasn't, and I couldn't," he explained.

"Let me guess.You want me to get rid of him for you," Wynn prompted.

"Yes.But it easier said than done.He is at the top of the mountain, with several guards.But to prevent anyone from reaching him, he has extra protection.He has brought a monster to the path leading to where he dwells.It is a giant Dodongo, a fire-breathing reptile.To get to the Dinolfos, you must slay the Dodongo," the Goron elaborated.

"Exactly how much does this job pay?" Wynn asked.

"Five-hundred rupees.It is almost all we have, but it is worth it to get rid of him," the Goron told him.

Wynn looked at his comrades.They all nodded. "You have a deal."

******

Wynn and his friends walked on toward the exit to the trail. "Wait up!" yelled a voice from behind them.They turned.It was the young Goron, Link."Wait!" he yelled again, breathless.He was clutching something in his hand.As he came closer, Wynn could tell it was a short sword.

"What is it, little one?" Wynn asked.

"I want to come with you!" Link said, finally catching up to them.

"No way.It is going to be too dangerous," Wynn told him sternly.

"Yes, please.I am old enough.Anyway, you will need help to get past the Dodongo.I can distract it while you go to kill the bad guys," he insisted.

Wynn started to refuse, but Fami cut him off, "Why do you want to come so bad?"

"My dad named me after the hero of the Gorons.I want to live up to that name, to show I deserve it," he replied after some thought.

"I guess it will be okay.Just don't get hurt.I don't want to be the one that has to tell Darunia his son got turned into Dodongo-food," Wynn accepted.

And so they left the city.They were suprised to see, standing outside the exit,a huge Goron, about five times as tall as Wynn."Biggoron!" Wynn yelled, and ran to him.

"How are you, Wynn?" Biggoron rumbled.

"Fine.How's business?" Wynn asked.

"Great.I just finished another sword.Would you be interested in buying it?"

Wynn frowned. "How much?"

"It isn't cheap.Two thousand rupees."

Tane whistled low, shocked. "Sorry.I'm broke," Wynn told him. "See you around."

"See you, Wynn.Come back if you get the rupees."

They then walked up to a trail.After a short climb, they came to a place where they could see a long path with tall walls on both sides.Standing in the middle of the path was the Dodongo.It was huge, nearly taking up the width of the path.It had twocolumnlike legs, and a large, powerful maw.It had a long muscular tail, which was its only weak point, Wynn recalled, remembering the stories of these creatures his father had told him.

"Good luck, kid," Tane told Link.

With a yell, Link leaped into battle.While the beast was distracted, the others ran past it.They then came to a dead end, but the wall was rough enough to climb.It took them awhile, but they reached the top of Death Mountain.

With suprise, they looked upon the Dinolfos.He was sitting on a throne, and was surrounded by four guards, all Lizalfos.He was wearing a bejeweled crown.He looked at the heroes with a sneer, and said, "I am the mighty King Dinofosss.Who daresss intrude on my home?"

"None of your business, your mightiness," Tane said very sarcastically.

"We have been hired to kill you," Wynn told him, and drew his sword, "and we aim to complete our mission."

The king hissed, and stood.He was human-formed, but resembled a lizard.He was wearing armor.He drew his own sword, and said, "You shall die for your foolishnesss." And with that, he charged into battle, his guards behind him.

The battle began.Wynn fell into combat with the king, and the others attacked his guards.Wynn defended himself with his sword as the king stabbed at him.He deflected one, two, three blows, then took to the offensive.The king jumped back, but too slowly.Wynn's sword carved a thin red line into his scales.Wynn smiled, then dodged as the king leapt at him.Wynn slashed, but the king dodged effortlessly.They circled one another warily.The king then charged.Wynn tried to dodge, but the sword of the king left a mark deep in his armor.He was hurt, but not badly.The king laughed, and said, "Die!" Wynn smiled at the over-confidence of the king.He wasn't dead yet.He waited till the king attacked again, then defended, acting weak.He fell to his knees.The king laughed, and raised his sword over his head, ready to finish his weakling enemy.He was rather suprised when his enemy then stabbed him deep in the chest with his sword, amazingly swift for one wounded.He had been tricked, and the short reign of King Dinolfos was ended.He fell to the ground.

Wynn stood, and looked around.The guards had met their end. He interpreted this from the fact that there was three Lizalfos corpses.The other had probably been tossed off the cliff by the magic of Nerah or Fami.

Suddenly, he heard the king mumble something from the ground. "Who...who are you, that ssslaid me?" he requested.

"I am Wynn."

"Ssson of Baro?" the king rasped.

"Yes."

"I now understand.My master warned that you may come here.I did not listen.I have paid the price for that mistake."

"Your master?Who?"

"Icarnosss.He is in the Forest Temple.He... your parentsss..." and with those words, the king died.

Wynn frowned.He then turned his back on the corpse, and looked for Link.He saw him, standing next to a dead Dodongo.Link had earned his name."Wynn?" Fami called.The others had started climbing down the wall.

"Go on.I'll catch up."

He then looked down the mountain.From here, he could see most of Hyrule.He thought about what the king had said.Icarnos had been the name of the master of that fiend, Silver Knuckle.Could this Icarnos beresponsible for his parents' death?** **There was only one way to find out.He stepped away from the ledge, and walked to join his friends.His journey had only begun, and his destiny would be fulfilled soon.

The beginning...

   [1]: mailto:hyrules_hero@hotmail.com



	2. Default Chapter Title

Interlude 

Silver Knuckle ascended the stairs leading to the chamber of his master.Once he reached the top, he looked around.It was hard to think that one of Ganondorf's own lieutenants had existed in this chamber, in this temple.

The chamber was large, and the dim light was shed by the torches his master had set.The walls were dark stone, and were decorated with pictures.However, many of the pictures were damaged, with tears in them.

He then saw his master.He was preparing for his powerful spell.Silver Knuckle bowed, and waited for his master to notice him.After a few minutes, his Master's powerful voice rang through the chamber.

"Stand, my servant," he demanded, "and report."

"My liege, our scouts have reported that several adventurers attacked King Dinolfos.He died in battle, killed without taking any with him, like the incompetent he always was.Knowing thatking, he probably told the adventurers of our location.They also said," he told his Master with a gleam in his eyes, "that _he_ was with them."

His master stared at him in wonder. "He...is coming here?Perfect!Now my plans near completion.Leave me, so I can finish my spell."

"Yes, master." And with that, Silver Knuckle turned and walked down the stairs.

After he was gone, Icarnos chuckled evilly.This was going exactly as planned.Even though the king had perished, the elusive son of Baro was coming here, to the Forest Temple.Once he controlled the son of Baro and Ganon's lieutenant, his power would be unmatchable.He turned, and set to work on his spell.Soon, he would rule Hyrule, and no one could stop him.

CHAPTER 7 

Wynn and the others made their way back to Goron City.When they reached the city, Biggoron was standing outside, as well as the Goron that had hired Wynn and his friends.Wynn called out to the Goron that had told them about King Dinolfos."He is dead." Wynn told him.

"You killed him?Great!Here are your rupees."the Goron said, and handed him a bag of rupees.Wynn examined the contents of the bag, counting to see if all were there.Satisfied, he shook the Goron's hand.

"Thanks."he said.

"Good job, Wynn.Since you were kind enough to help us, I will help you.I will sell you my newest sword for one thousand rupees.For a limited time, you can have it for half-price." Biggoron told him.

Wynn thought for a second.He wanted that sword badly, but he didn't have enough rupees.Anyway, he knew that the Gorons needed the rupees more than he did, since their bomb-flower crop had been ruined by the king. "Sorry, Biggoron, but the city needs the rupees more than I need that sword." he said, and handed the bag back to the Goron.

"Thanks!" the Goron said, and turned to enter the city. "Come on, Link.Let's go home."

Link turned to Wynn. "Thanks...for giving me a chance to prove myself." he said to Wynn. He then walked into the city.

Biggoron thoughtfully rumbled, "You would give all that money to help the Gorons?How generous!You deserve this sword, for your kindness to the Goron people." he said, and held a large sword out to Wynn.

"I can't take that,"Wynn said, not wanting to take a source of profit from Biggoron.

"No, I insist.It is a gift, between friends,"Biggorontold him.

Wynn hesitated, then took the sword from his hand. "Thanks!" he said, a grin lighting up his face.He hefted the sword, admiring its smooth, angular shape, its sharp blade.It was longer than his arm.He slashed the air, not believing he owned this magnificent sword."Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome.Well, I am going to return to my home now.See you." Biggoron said, and left.

"Where to now, Wynn?" Tane asked.

"The Forest Temple.I have someone I need to talk to there." Wynn said, and started toward the bottom of the trail.The others followed him.

******

They arrived in Kakariko Village.Wynn looked around, searching for someone.Fami also seemed to be looking for someone."Who are you looking for?" Tane asked.

"I can't find Seron." Wynn stated.

"Is he supposed to be here?" Nerah asked.

"He was supposed to be.I was going to tell him that I wouldn't be getting his rupees anytime soon." Wynn said, still searching.After a few minutes, they finally gave up and left. "I guess I will see him later."

******

So they went back to the Lost Woods, where they had first met Fami.It was late afternoon when they arrived at the entrance to Kokiri Forest. "Fami, it is up to you to get us past the Kokiri." Wynn said.

"Yeah, those annoying brats hate Wynn and me." Tane said.

"Well, I can understand some of their sentiment," Shezarah said.Tane frowned.

"Don't worry.They are all good friends," Fami said confidently.

However, they had nothing to worry about.They saw several Kokiri, but they were all asleep.Fami walked to one, and shook him.No matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up any of them.Suddenly, Wynn stopped her. "They are under a spell.I bet this is the doing of a powerful wizard.If we want to free them, we had better stop the wizard."

Fami nodded.They walked into the Lost Woods.Following Tane's map, they made their way back through the forest.After they reached the point where they had met Fami, she led them into the Forest Meadow.The meadow was a giant hedge maze.There they were surprised to hear grunts echoing in the meadow."He posted guards!" Wynn yelled, surprised.

One of the guards stepped into view through a gap in the maze.It was very tall, nearly twice as tall as Fami.It was human-shaped, but its face resembled a pig more than a human.It was carrying a giant spear.It turned, saw them, and charged at them with a roar.

Wynn drew his sword and, dodging the spear, slashed the beast.It fell to its knees, and then to the ground.It was dead.Tane looked at it closely.

"A Moriblin.They are dumb, and slow, but fierce fighters." he said.Wynn nodded, and led them into the maze.They cautiously peered around every corner, watching for any more monsters.Around one corner, they saw another monster.Fami gestured, and a vine wrapped itself around the monster's arms.The monster grunted in confusion.Jier attacked it.It was unable to defend itself, and died.They progressed through the maze, teaming up to destroy several more Moriblins.

Finally they reached the stairs that lead out of the maze.They climbed them slowly, preparing to combat any last guardians.They were surprised at the sight of the final guard.It was much taller than even the Moriblins. "A Monblin!" Tane yelled, shocked.The Monblincarried a club that was bigger around than Wynn.It roared when it saw them, and, to their surprise, it spoke, "You no pass.Me guard.You die if try to pass."

Fami gestured.A vine wrapped itself around the club, but the Monblin tore its weapon from the vine.It growled at her.Tane sighed, and, with a yell, charged at the Monblin.The Monblin smashed its club into the ground, creating a shock wave that knocked Tane flying through the air.He landed at Wynn's feet.He groaned, and stayed on the ground.Wynn thought for a second, then whispered in Jier's and Fami's ears.He then yelled loudly, getting the Monblin's attention focused on him. "Hey, you know, you must be tired.How about you take a break, and let me guard for you?" he said.While he had the monster's attention, Jier hid behind Nerah and Shezarah.The Monblin grunted, and shook its head, not noticing Jier's actions.Wynn looked back at his friends. "Hey, my friend seems to have gotten past you.See him?He's right there, behind your back."The monster turned, and searched for Jier thoroughly.While he was occupied, Wynn ran toward him.The monster turned and saw him.It started to swing its club, but Fami's magic created another vine that wrapped around the weapon.While the Monblin was preoccupied, Wynn attacked it, swiping with his new sword.After a few hits, the monster groaned, and fell to the ground, dead.Wynn smiled at the others, and motioned them to follow him.

After climbing more stairs, they reached the entrance to the Forest Temple.However, they couldn't reach it, since the stairs to it had eroded away.Fami looked exhausted, but started to make another spell.Wynn stopped her, "Don't worry, I can get us up there.Save your magic, we might need it later."She nodded.Wynn looked around for some way to reach the door to the temple. He saw a dead tree limb hanging over the entrance.He pulled out the chained mace he had received at the lake, and shot it at the bough.It wrapped around it, and stayed there.Wynn let go of the mace, and it hung from the tree like a rope, enabling them to ascend to the temple and go inside.

Once inside, they were in a small walled-in space.It the other end, a door beckoned them.Halfway there, two wolves appeared out of thin air.After a brief combat, they were dead.The heroes walked through the door.

The next room was surprisingly large.It had a small elevator in the center, with four lit torches around it.Standing in front of the elevator was the figure of a human.He turned. "Seron!" Wynn yelled.Fami smiled.

"Wynn, Fami.Hello.How's life been treating you, Wynn?" Seron said, a giant grin on his face.Oddly, he did not move away from the elevator.

"Great, just great.Say, why are you here?" Wynn asked, suspicious.His hand dropped to the hilt of his sword.

Seron raised his right hand so the palm was facing Wynn, and said, "Well, that is because my master, Icarnos, ordered me to stop you." And with that, a bolt of energy leapt from his hand and slammed into Wynn, knocking him to the ground.Fami and the others stared at him, shocked.

"You...work for Icarnos?" Fami said, incredulous.

"Yes, Fami, I am apprenticed to Icarnos, the great wizard.He told me to prevent you from going down this elevator.I am to capture Wynn, but the rest of you I am to dispose of." He raised his hands to face towards Jier and Tane. "Fami, move away from them."When she hesitated, he mumbled a spell.An invisible hand picked her up and moved her away from the others.While he was occupied, Wynn stood, and leaped at Seron.Seron dodged, and drew his sword."That was foolish.I may not be able to kill you, but I can hurt you."

Wynn laughed, and swung his sword.Seron blocked with his sword.The two broken halves of his sword flew through the air after Wynn's sword made contact.Seron looked at his broken sword in confusion. "Sorry, Seron, but you can't do anything about me now, can you?" Wynn taunted.

Seron sneered at him. "I may have lost, but you won't defeat Icarnos.I will see you later, and you too, Fami."His cape swirled around him, and he disappeared.

Wynn stared at the spot he had been standing, and said, "Yes, you will, traitor."

The group took the elevator down to the basement.They could see the chamber Icarnos was probably in.It had a long path, adorned with a red carpet and guarded by two Stalfos.Tane and Wynn charged at the surprised Stalfos, swinging their swords.Seconds later, they were standing over the remains of the two monsters."Onward to Icarnos." Wynn said with a grim smile.They walked into the chamber.

When they entered, they climbed stairs.They then saw their foe.He was tall, with silver hair all askew.He was wearing a black tunic, over armor from the looks.He was unarmed, but they all knew that it didn't matter to a wizard.He looked at them.His eyes were a piercing blue.They were the eyes of a madman.

"Eh?Who dares...oh.It is the son of Baro.You came to be my apprentice, correct?" he said.

Wynn drew his sword. "Hardly.I came to demand you tell me of my parents." Wynn said angrily.

Icarnos laughed cruelly. "Your parents?You think they are dead, don't you?They are not dead, little one, but my prisoners."

A gleam of hope entered Wynn's eyes. "Release them now," he demanded.

Icarnos laughed again. "Join me." he demanded.Wynn and Icarnos stared into each other's eyes, sizing up their opponent.Suddenly, Icarnos broke off. "You will regret your decision.As will your friends.You are too late, anyway.My plans are in action; I will rule Hyrule.You can't stop me!" he said, and laughed maniacally.

"Well see about that!" Wynn said, and drew his sword.He charged at Icarnos.Suddenly, his rush was stopped as he hit an invisible barrier.He flew to the floor.Icarnos chuckled.

"You cannot harm me.Goodbye, son of my nemesis."A black light seemed to come from Icarnos, and soon it concealed him in darkness.When the light dissipated, Icarnos was gone.However, a bolt of energy flew into one of the pictures on the wall.Suddenly, all the pictures repaired themselves, the tears vanishing.As they watched, a figure appeared in one picture.It walked toward them, coming out of the picture.It was a human male, wearing black armor.However, the figure wore a skull-shaped mask.He carried a spear.

"Who dares intrude on the presence of Phantom Ganon?Who has resurrected me?" he asked.

Icarnos's voice sounded, seeming to come from everywhere. "I brought you back.You will serve me in my quest for power since your former master, Ganondorf, is dead."

"And we are here to stop him, so I guess that means you have to fight us." Tane stated.

"Child's play.Against the power of my magic, you stand no chance.I cannot be defeated," the phantom bragged.

"What, are all magicians this egotistical?Time to fight, ghosty!" Wynn taunted.

"Those are your last words, foolish one." Phantom Ganon threatened.He raised the spear, and said an incantation.A ball of light appeared, and from it came lightning, striking Jier, Tane and Wynn.They fell to the ground. Icarnos' laughs could be heard, then faded. "Now, for the easy part.These females shall die with less fight then those weaklings."

Nerah snorted. "So, you can beat a few adventurers.But can you take on two magicians and a trained Gerudo warrior?"

"With pleasure." Phantom Ganon charged another lightning attack.

Nerah and Fami stood together.A barely visible magic barrier formed between them and the ghost.He released his magic lightning, but it hit the barrier and reflected back at him.The lightning slammed into him, and he fell to the ground.Shezarah leaped, slashing with her scimitar.It stabbed into the ghostly monster.He collapsed to the floor, and was still.Shezarah walked over to the others.Wynn, Tane, and Jier were slowly waking up. "Simple.Hardly a worthy opponent." she bragged.

"You are mistaken.You haven't won yet." Shezarah turned at the sound of the phantom's voice.He was standing, energy gleaming on his spear.A bolt of lightning nailed her, and she collapsed. "You cannot defeat me!" he gloated.

"Maybe she can't now, but we can!" Wynn shouted, awake and climbing to his feet.

Phantom Ganon glared at him. He roared in anger, and sent a lightning bolt at Wynn.Wynn slashed with his sword, hitting the bolt.It reflected back at the ghost, and hit him squarely.Phantom Ganon fell to the floor.Wynn stabbed him, over and over.Phantom Ganon, weakened by his own magic, was defenseless.However, Wynn's attacks did no damage.

"What do I do?" Wynn asked Fami.

"I...I don't know!" she said, desperate.

Phantom Ganon shoved Wynn. "I...I...I cannot be...defeated!" he stuttered weakly.

"You have been." A green aura surrounded the phantom.The voice seemed to come from the walls of the fortress.It was that of a young girl.Fami looked up, as if she knew the voice. "You have been destroyed, and you will exist no more."

"Noooo!!!" Phantom Ganon howled.He slowly vanished. "I cannot be defeated!" He disappeared into the air, leaving only the echo of his unearthly scream.In his place another figure appeared.It was a Kokiri girl, dressed in green.

"Saria!" Fami yelled, and ran to her.

"Fami!How are you?" Saria asked.

"Great, now that that ghost is gone!Why are you here?" Fami asked curiously.

"I am the Sage of the Forest Temple.I am here to protect the Temple.However, the magic of the wizard kept me from interfering.Once the phantom was weakened, I could finish him.Thanks to you and your friends." Saria told her.

"Oh, that's right!I forgot to introduce my friends.He is Tane," Tane stood, and nodded, "he is Jier," he bowed, "she is Nerah," Nerah smiled, " she is Shezarah," Shezarah was on the floor, unconscious, "and he is Wynn, the hero." Fami explained.

"Wynn?I have heard that name somewhere..." Saria thought.After thinking a few moments, she gave up with a sigh. "Perhaps I should ask Rauru, Sage of Light."

"I can't believe it!You, a Sage!Wow!" Fami said.

"I know, it is hard for me to believe as well.It has been a long time since I saw you.Have you seen Link yet?" Saria asked.

"Link?I haven't seen him in seven years." Fami told her,

"Well, you could say he has grown up since then." Saria told her.

"Grown up?But Kokiri never grow up...oh." Fami thought out loud.

"Yes, Link is not a Kokiri.He, like you, was brought to our village by his parents." Saria told her.

"Where is Link, anyway?I haven't seen him since...we..." Fami cut off, smiling at her memories.

Wynn looked at her curiously. "Go on." he prompted.

"Forget it.So, Saria, what should we do now?" Fami said, anxiously changing the subject.

"Your next stops are the Shadow and Water Temples.The Shadow temple is in Kakariko.It is hard to get to, but when one gets there, they must face traps and monsters at every step.It is one of the most dangerous temples.The apprentice of Icarnos has gone there, to resurrect the monster that once plagued the temple."

"Seron is the wizard's apprentice." Wynn growled.

"Yes, he is an apprentice magician, but still very powerful.He must be stopped!" Saria said, urgency in her voice.

"What about the Water Temple?" Tane asked.

"The Water Temple is known as the Puzzle Temple, full of impossible traps for the mind.However, one strong in magic can possibly skip these puzzles, and proceed to the Boss Chamber.However, since the temple lies at the bottom of Lake Hylia, only one equipped with the Zora's Tunic can enter it.However, since you have a Zora as a companion, it should be no problem at all."

Nerah smiled. "I am sure that Uncle, I mean King, Zora will give you the tunic."

"Yes, and then you must stop Icarnos.If he succeeds in reviving all of Ganon's lieutenants, he will become very powerful."

"Don't worry, Saria.We will stop him, no matter what." Wynn said, his chin set in determination.

"Yes, you will, Wynn.Fami, I must say goodbye.Remember, if you see Link, say hello for me."And then she was gone, vanishing before their eyes.Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed, and they were standing at the exit of the Lost Woods, on the cliff overlooking Kokiri Forest.

"What?How did we get here?" Tane asked.

Fami smiled. "Magic."

Together, they climbed down the wall, and walked toward the exit of the village. "Fami!" a child's voice yelled.She turned.It was a Kokiri, running towards them.

"Oh, no," Tane groaned.

Fami was talking to the Kokiri, and several more were running to her.Wynn listened in on their conversation. "It has been a long time.So, who are they?" one child asked.

"Them?Oh, they are my friends.He is my boyfriend." she said pointing at Wynn.Nerah laughed coldly, and Wynn blushed.

"Him?But I thought Link was...oh, yeah, I forgot." the child said.

Wynn stepped into the conversation, eager to find out what they were discussing, and slightly jealous. "Go on, please."

"Never mind that, Wynn.Well, I must go now.I will visit soon, I hope." Fami said, pulling Wynn away from the Kokiri and out of the village.

******

They were in Hyrule Field.The sun had set, and they were preparing for bed.Shezarah and and Tane were talking to each other about the temples.Jier had fallen asleep.Nerah was following his lead, laying on some grass.Fami was preparing supplies for the next day's adventures.Wynn was alone, thinking about the day's fight, and the traitor Seron.Fami, done with packing, interrupted his thoughts. "So, Wynn, how did you know Seron?" she asked gently.

"Seron.He came to me in the village, telling me that my parents were alive.He said if I gave him one thousand rupees, he would lead me to my parents.I believed him." Wynn confessed. "He tricked me."

"It's okay, Wynn.He tricked me, too.I fell for his charm.It is another reason to stop him, so he can't trick anyone else." Fami comforted him.

"He has to be stopped.Him, and Icarnos.Before they can hurt anyone else." Wynn said.

"What about your parents?" Fami asked, concerned.

"I have to save them.The only way to do that is to kill Icarnos.I will not stop until Icarnos is dead, and my parents are free." Wynn pledged.

"I will help you, Wynn," Fami told him, "no matter what."

Wynn smiled at her. "Thanks, Fami.I knew I could depend on you."He thought for a second. "Say, what was that Kokiri talking about in the village?You know, about Link."

Fami sighed. "Seven years ago, Link and I were a couple.He was nice, but suddenly, one day, he disappeared.Around that time Mido started saying that Linkhad killed the Deku Tree, guardian of the forest.I know he didn't, though.He wouldn't do anything like that.A while later, I went to my home in the woods, and stayed there, alone.However, I gave Saria a map to my cavern before I went, and told her to give it to Link if he ever returned.I guess somehow Tane got it instead."

"I'll have to ask Tane how he got the map sometime." Wynn said thoughtfully. "I wonder, why would he have gotten it instead of Link?"

"Well, I am glad he did.If he hadn't, I never would have met you," Fami said, smiling at him.

Wynn blushed, and smiled back, looking at her.She kissed him.His smile got even bigger.She returned his smile, stood up, and walked to where she was going to sleep, leaving him alone. "Goodnight, Wynn," she said as she went to bed.

"Goodnight, Fami," he said.He sat there, and thought.For once in a long time, things were going well.Silver Knuckle had been defeated, Icarnos was on the run, and he had his friends.He went to bed, and soon fell to sleep easily.

******

Unknown to Wynn and Fami, they were being watched.The eyes of Nerah were focused on them.As she watched the progressings, her determination strengthened.She would _not _lose Wynn to Fami!Tomorrow, Wynn would change his mind.Tomorrow...

A lone figure watched the adventurers as they fell to sleep.A small chuckle escaped from him as walked away as quietly as he could.That child was very lucky.He, and those amateurs, had defeated Phantom Ganon.As he proceeded toward Hyrule Castle, the figure had to admit a grudging respect for the one called Wynn.He had not only defeated the ghost, but also the worthless apprentice, Seron.He had almost won at Lake Hylia.Yes, he, Silver Knuckle, would never underestimate the skills of Wynn again.

Chapter 8 

The next morning the adventurers discussed their plans. "So, we know that Nerah has to go to the Water Temple.Who else needs to go there?" Wynn asked.

"I will go to the Shadow Temple.I grew up in Kakariko, so it would be logical for me to accompany whoever goes there," Jier said.

"Wynn, you should come with me to the Water Temple," Nerah suggested.

"What about me?" Fami asked.

"You should go to the Shadow Temple.They will need someone who can use magic there," Nerah said.

Fami started to protest.Shezarah thought for a second, and spoke up, "My servant and I will go to the Shadow Temple."

"What?No way!" Tane yelled.

"Do as I say, servant," Shezarah commanded.

"Hey, I take orders from no one!Not anymore!" Tane informed her.

Eager to interrupt the fight, Wynn stepped in. "Tane, she is right.You two seem to make a good team.Anyway, your fighting skills will be needed to defeat Seron, and Fami's magic will be needed to stop Icarnos."

Everyone nodded, even Nerah, who looked upset."We will meet in Hyrule Marketplace this evening," Wynn said, and turned towards Zora's River.Fami and Nerah followed him."I will see you later."

"See you later, Wynn," Tane shouted.Under his breath, he added, "I hope."

******

The three adventurers walked up the Zora's River path.They had little trouble from the octorocs, and soon made it to the entrance to the domain. "How do we get in now, Wynn?" Fami asked.

"Simple," Nerah said.She made a sweeping gesture with her arm.The waterfall blocking the entrance slowed, then stopped. "That is better than any old vine," she taunted, and jumped to the entrance.Wynn and Fami followed, although Wynn noted Fami wasn't too happy about it.

Wynn was still surprised at the size of the cavern that housed Zora's Domain.Nerah started down the pathto the King's room.They followed her.Nerah waved at several Zoras, but did not stop to talk to them.She soon reached the King's chamber.The King looked at her, and smiled.

"So, Duchess, how goes your adventure?" he asked.

"Fine, just fine.We defeated several monsters, and we are on a quest."

King Zora looked surprised. He had obviously not expected them to have such adventures.

"Your Highness, we are on a journey to stop the wizard Icarnos.He has gone to the Water Temple, and we need a Zora Tunic to go there.We are here to ask you to lend us two: one for Fami and one for me," Wynn stated, advancing to the point of their visit.

"Hm.Wizard?Icarnos?I have heard that name somewhere," the old king rumbled, stroking his chin in thought.After a few seconds, he remembered the reason they had come. "Oh, yes, the Zora's Tunics!" he said, and called out.A Zora entered the throne room, and handed the heroes two blue tunics.The servant then exited the room.

"Thanks, Your Highness." Wynn said.

Suddenly, a Zora walked in from outside the fountain.He was carrying a sword, and looked vaguely familiar to Wynn. "Sir, Jabu-Jabu has been fed," he told the king.

"Thank you, Zaruu," the king said.

"Zaruu?Good to see you again!" Wynn said, recognizing the Zora that had fought against the Zess.

"Same to you,...uh..."

"Wynn," Wynn reminded him.

"Yeah, Wynn.See you 'round," Zaruu turned, and was gone.

"How did he end up being the one that has to feed Jabu-Jabu?" Nerah asked.

"I had originally told Panu to feed him.However, Panu and Zaruu gambled, and Zaruu lost.For a year, he is the one that has to feed Jabu-Jabu.After that year, Panu has to feed him, but until then it is Zaruu's task.Perhaps next time, he won't be so quick to gamble," said the king with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh," Wynn said, surprised.

"Uncle...excuse me, King Zora, I have thought of one other thing I need.I wish to go to the school," Nerah suggested.

"Certainly," the king said, and motioned her on to the fountain.

******

They made their way to the school.The gate opened in front of them, and they walked down the path.They came to a pool of water.This was the source of the river, and this place was being fed by the fountain.A small waterfall roared from the fountain.Nerah waved them after her, and dove into the water.Wynn looked at Fami, shrugged, and slipped on his tunic.He jumped in the water, and swam under the waterfall.Fami watched, then growled. "She is the worst show-off...." She slipped on her tunic, and dove into the water.

******

They surfaced in a small chamber behind the waterfall.Wynn pulled himself out of the water, and looked around.The chamber was actually a hallway, and at the end was another chamber.Nerah lead them down to the chamber.It was a small room, with rock platforms to sit on.The platforms created a half-circle with a podium at the center.Students were sitting on the benches, and a teacher was lecturing.Nerah looked around, as if searching for someone, and then loudly cleared her throat.

The teacher stopped, and turned. "Nerah!" he said, "I thought you had gone adventuring."

"I did, and I am here for a short while." Nerah told him. "I came here to ask about the Water Temple."She and the teacher talked quietly together, meaning Wynn could not hear the conversation.Instead, Wynn turned, and looked at Fami, who was yawning.

"Who are you?" asked a voice from beside him.

"I am Wynn." Wynn said, looking at the speaker.It was a Zora girl, a little younger than Fami.She smiled at him.

"I am Bera.Are you an adventurer?" she asked innocently.

"I am."

"Wow!Really?" Her smile got bigger.

Wynn nodded, and looked back at Fami.She was dozing, leaning against the wall. "Have you killed many monsters?"He nodded again.She giggled, and said, "Neat."Wynn realized she was probably flirting.

Suddenly, there came the sound of a throat being cleared from behind Wynn.He turned.It was Nerah. "We need to go.We have to stop Icarnos." she reminded Wynn.

"Okay.I'll go wake Fami." Wynn walked to Fami.As he went to her, he could her Nerah whisper to the girl, Bera.

"He's mine."

Wynn pretended not to hear her, and shook Fami.She nearly fell, unbalanced, then regained her balance, and opened her eyes."Good morning." She stretched.

"Come on." Nerah motioned to them. "We need to leave."

Together they walked back down the path back to the waterfall.Nerah seemed to be in a hurry, wanting to avoid something...or someone.

"Hey!Nerah!Wait up!" A voice came from far down the corridor.Nerah practically dashed to the water, and jumped in.Wynn and Fami looked at each other, shrugged, and jumped into the water, leaving the voice behind.

******

A young Zora watched them leave.He sighed. "I only wanted to talk to you." he said, and turned to leave.One day, he, Jaco, would catch Nerah, and she would be his again.That day would be soon.

******

Meanwhile, Jier, Tane, and Shezarah were walking toward Kakariko Village.They soon reached it.But to their suprise, they did not hear the normal noises coming from the town.Silence had replaced the sounds of people talking.When they entered, they saw the people of the village.However, they were motionless, frozen standing.Jier ran to the nearest townsperson, one of the goof-offs at the tree.He shook him, and when he didn't move, he looked into his eyes.Jier could see the pure fear in the eyes of the goof-off, but he could see no life with it. "Split up.Explore the village, see if you can find anyone that can tell you what happened to these people.And watch out for monsters, too." he demanded.

Tane searched all the houses he came to.Everyone he had found had been frozen.He knew what had happened; Seron and his magic had assailed the village, and Seron had decided to practice his evil spells on these people.The spell would only stop if Seron was killed or hurt badly, so he couldn't concentrate on the spell.That Seron deserved it anyway, for whatever he had done to Wynn.

Tane looked around for Jier, wanting to report his findings.He found him at the cucco pen.Even the annoying cuccos had frozen.Jier was standing next to the poor Cucco Lady.He was looking at her intently.Jier reached out and tenderly touched her face. "My dear, I will free you." he said quietly.

Tane coughed loudly, getting his attention.He could see Shezarah coming towards them. "We need to go."

"Yes," Jier said, looking again at the Cucco Lady, "Seron must be stopped."

******

They followed Jier to the graveyard just outside Kakariko.Tane drew his sword, not knowing quite what to expect.He never could have guessed what was in the graveyard.

"ReDeads!Poes! Gidbos!" Tane said, suprised.Obviously, Seron had decided to stop anyone before they could delay him in his cause by posting gaurds.And plenty!The monsters swarmed over the graveyard.The zombie-like ReDeads walked around aimlessly, paying no attention to to other monsters.The Gidbos, which resembled mummies, stood still.The ghostly Poes flew over the land, swinging their lanterns, searching for intruders.Tane looked at Jier.Jier nodded.Shezarah nodded as well.Together, they charged into battle.

******

Wynn, Fami, and Nerah made their way back to the domain.After climbing back up the hill, they walked back into the cavern leading to King Zora.When they reached him, they said their farewells and followed Nerah down to the water of the lake in the domain. "Down in the water is a shortcut to Lake Hylia.It would save us the trip across Hyrule Field, but we have to swim down there first." She motioned toward the water, which was still cluttered with ice.

Wynn shrugged, and replied, "Let's take it."Fami agreed.

"Then we had better go.Follow me, Wynn." Smiling at Wynn, Nerah waded into the water, visibly shivering.She swam towards the entrance of the shortcut.Wynn followed her, slowly stepping into the water.The water was freezing!He swam after Nerah, hurrying as much as possible to get out of the frigid water.

Fami glowered at the receding shapes of Wynn and Nerah under the water.She waded into the water, trying to ignore the coldness.Nerah, she had noticed, was trying harder than usual to get Wynn.Fami knew, however, that she wouldn't succeed.Not with her around...

******

They emerged at Lake Hylia.Wynn was pleased to notice the water was much warmer here than it had been in Zora's Domain.The lake was calm, with not even a single disturbance."Follow me, Wynn." Nerah spoke, once again ignoring Fami.She moved towards the island Shezarah and Tane had practiced their swordplay on.Wynn identified it as the Water Temple.Nerah dove, swimming towards the entrance, which was at the bottom of the lake.Wynn followed her, with Fami close behind.

They entered the temple.Once they got out of the water, they looked around at the interior of the temple.It was huge, much larger than Wynn had expected.Wynn stepped to the edge of the platform they were on.Below him was water, and Wynn could see that the there was several entryways to unexplored rooms under it. "This is the Water Temple.From here, the monster Morpha was able to freeze the domain.But someone killed it, enabling Zora's Domain to melt.However, if the monster here is revived, then the domain may once again freeze over.We must prevent that!" Nerah said, urgency in her voice.Wynn nodded.

"We will." he assured her.Fami consented, nodding.Nerah smiled at Wynn.

"Follow me." Nerah swam to the center of the temple.It was a huge pillar, with a platform running around it.The other two followed her.She climbed up on the platform, andmade her way around it.She consulted a map that Wynn guessed the teacher had given her.She then pointed. "Up there." she said, pointing to a ledge a good distance away with a statue on it.

"How do we get there?" Fami asked.

"Simple." Nerah looked at the water in concentration.Slowly, a pillar of water rose, rising tall enough that anyone that rode it could climb up on the platform.Then the pillar collapsed into the water.Nerah turned back to Wynn and Fami. "We can get in the water, and I can use my magic to get us up there like that."

Wynn smiled at her. "Good job, Nerah."

Fami smiled sardonically. "Yeah, just absolutely wonderful."

"Let's go then." Nerah said.They jumped back into the water and swam to the place where the pillar had risen.When they reached it, Nerah once again fell into a deep concentration.Slowly, they were lofted high into the air by the water.When the pillar reached its highest point, they jumped off.Without Nerah's attention, the water fell back into its original shape.

"Good job, Nerah." Wynn said.

Without warning, they were attacked.Four monsters leaped out from behind the statue. "Tektites!" Wynn cried.The monsters did resemble the earlier Tektites of Kakariko Village, but were blue in color, rather than red.They lunged at the heroes.Wynn drew his Biggoron-made sword and gored a Tektite, but another knocked him to the ground.One monster leaped at Fami, but she dodged, and the Tektite fell into the water.The Tektite leaped, nearly climbing back onto he platform.Fami kicked it away.Nerah snapped into action, using her magic.The water below the platform suddenly drained, the water level sinking quickly.A spider-like Tektite jumped at her, but she grabbed it and pushed it off the platform into the water, two floors down and sinking toward the floor.The Tektite landed with a loud splash.Wynn, who was still battling a Tektite, got a sudden inspiration.He grabbed his chained mace, and used it on the Tektite.The spiked ball bounced off the hard, armor-like carapace.He used it again, wrapping the chain around one of the monster's four legs.He swung it, flinging the monster of the platform.It plummeted three floors, and then smashed into the floor, and one of its companions, rather messily.Wynn smiled. "On to Icarnos."

Together they advanced to the door out of the main room, and entered the next room.It was a steeply sloped path, with several bladed spike traps sliding back and forth across the floor, and a flat platform just beyond the traps. "How do we get up that?" Fami asked.

Wynn thought for a second.He pulled out his chained mace, and cast the ball at one of the traps.It bounced off.Wynn stopped to think again, and sighed. "Any ideas?" he asked, his attempt unsuccessful.Fami smiled.Nerah had shown off all day, and now it was her turn.She waved her arms, and vines sprouted from the floor behind them.They intertwined, winding around each other, and formed a rather steep flight of stairs, leading to the flat area beyond the spike traps.Wynn smiled at her.Behind his back, at the edge of Fami's vision, Nerah sneered at her.They ascended the stairs.At the end of the platform was an ornate door.It had probably been locked before Icarnos had arrived, but the lock had been melted off.Wynn stepped up to the door, and cautiously opened it.He peered inside.He could see the form of Icarnos hunched over a book.He was standing on a pillar jutting out of a pool of water.The pool of water was quite large, and probably deep.Icarnos mumbled to himself absent-mindedly, reading the glyphs in the book.Wynn walked through the door. "Your attempts to revive the lieutenants of Ganon have failed.Prepare to battle!"

Icarnos looked up quickly. "Who...oh, not you!Not now!"

Wynn looked past him.He could see something behind the wizard.It was a small sphere, floating in the air.It was colored in patches of red and blue, and wiggled in the air.Wynn had a sinking suspicion this insignificant creature was actually Morpha, the abominable monster that had frozen the Zoras.

Icarnos frowned. "You are too late.I have revived Morpha, and even though it is weak now, it can still deal with a few third-class adventurers."

Wynn snorted. "Then send on your mighty monster, magacian." he said, sneering as he said Icarnos's title.

Icarnos hesitated.The revived Morpha was indeed powerful magically, but could it stand up to a physical assault?He decided to risk the monster to rid himself of those pesky females and capture the son of his old enemy. "Morpha!To prove your might to this weakling, destroy," he pointed to the Kokiri girl, "her!"

Wynn drew his sword, and stood in a defensive stance in front of Fami. "If you want her, you have to go through me first!"

Morpha plunged into the water.Wynn laughed. "Your monster seems to be rather cowardly."

"Wynn, be careful." warned a terrified Nerah.

Suddenly, a tentacle shot from the water, wrapping itself around Wynn's waist.It appeared to be composed of the water in the pool.It hoisted Wynn into the air, and threw him against the wall, narrowly missing spikes that he hadn't noticed were lining the wall.The tentacle retracted back into the water.Wynn slowly got up, trying to stand.He could only watch helplessly as the monster extended its watery tentacle again, reaching for Fami.The hero drew his chained mace.He could see the nucleus of the monster in the water.As he prepared to attack the beast, the tentacle wrapped itself around Fami and picked her up.It reached back, aiming to throw her into the spikes.But Wynn's mace made contact with the spherical nucleus of the monster, and Wynn pulled it out of the water.The tentacle fell apart, splashing back into the water.Fami fell to the floor.Wynn drew his sword, and slashed quickly.His sword passed through the nucleus, and the two halves of Morpha fell to the floor.Nerah cheered ecstatically.

Icarnos stared in shock at the remains of his former monster. "That is impossible!How?"He looked carefully at Wynn, and spoke to him, "You!I underestimated you this time.You are as powerful as your father, at least physically.You must join me!"

Wynn laughed. "Never.You are just a worthless old man."Nerah and Fami nodded.

Icarnos stared him in the eye. "How dare you!You are insolent, young one." His eyes gleamed. "Perhaps you will reconsider your decision when you see my true power."He raised his hands and pointed them towards Wynn.Black lightning leaped from his hands, slamming into Wynn.Wynn fell to the floor, eyes clenched shut in pain.Icarnos's power ravaged him for a minute, two minutes.Fami and Nerah watched, helpless to stop the wizard. Suddenly, Icarnos stopped. "Join me now or die!" he shouted.

Wynn raised his face to Icarnos.He laughed humorlessly. "No."

Icarnos's face lit up in rage. "You...you refuse me?Then your friends will come to regret your decision."He turned to Fami and Nerah. "But only as long as they live, a short while."

The girls flinched.The lightning leapt from Icarnos's hands, bearing them to the floor.

Wynn's face fell.He could not stand to see them die!He reached into the pouch at his side, trying to find something to help them.He spoke out, coming to a decision. "Stop!"The lightning died, and Icarnos turned to Wynn. "Stop.I will join you."

******

Fami heard his words echo over the chamber.She could not believe her ears!Wynn, giving up?It was impossible! "No, Wynn, don't!Get away!Don't worry about us!"she yelled desperately.Wynn looked at her imploringly.His gaze seemed to say, Don't worry, I'll be fine.Fami, not understanding, closed her eyes in despair.

Wynn turned back to Icarnos.Icarnos walked toward him, walking on air off the platform to the place Wynn was standing. When he reached Wynn, his face lit up in a giant smile. "You will be my servant?Then you will truly become as powerful as your father!"Fami sobbed.

Wynn looked him in the eyes. "I will be.But I will not join you."

Icarnos's face twisted in confusion. "But..."He never got the chance to finish his sentence.Wynn threw something, a nut?, to the ground, and covered his eyes.A bright light exploded from the object, blinding Fami and Icarnos.When Fami opened her eyes, she saw Wynn slash Icarnos with his sword, stabbing him in the side.

"Tell me where my parents are!" Wynn ordered.He raised his sword, preparing to stab Icarnos again.Icarnos fell to his knees.

"They..." he said quietly.

"Go on."Wynn said, looking at the fallen magician.He was unprepared for the blast of lightning that caught him in the stomach.Wynn fell back, dropping his sword.

Icarnos stood again, sneering at Wynn. "You are foolish.You will perish for your decision."

Suddenly, he broke off.Fami could feel a power enter the room.Icarnos howled. "No!I...No one is more powerful than I!" He disappeared suddenly.In his place a blue light appeared.The figure of a Zora girl appeared in the light.Nerah sat up, her mouth dropping open.

"Ruto!"

Wynn faced the girl, Ruto. "Thank you for helping me."

"Don't worry.That wizard had no business in my temple.I am Ruto, sage of the Water Temple." Ruto responded.

Nerah stood, and ran to her friend. "Ruto!" she cried.

"Who...Nerah!" Ruto hugged her old friend tightly. "It has been forever!"

Wynn stood back, watching the two Zoras.After a few seconds, they broke apart, laughing and chatting.They talked for a while, forgetting about the other two.Fami looked on, not interested, and Wynn bent to pick up his sword.After the Zoras finished, Nerah turned to Wynn. "He is my boyfriend, Wynn, and she is called Fami." Nerah introduced, pointing to her friends.

Ruto laughed. "He is your boyfriend?What about Jaco?" she teased.

Nerah's face turned pink, blushing.She pushed her friend lightly, embarrassed.Wynn smiled at this piece of gossip. "So, that is who you were trying to avoid at the school."Nerah blushed even more, and growled at Wynn.

Ruto laughed pleasantly. "So, how is everyone in the domain?"

Nerah smiled. "Everyone is back to normal, thanks to you.Were you the one that stopped Morpha the first time?"

Ruto's smile grew even bigger."No, it wasn't I.It was my betrothed."

Nerah's mouth dropped open in shock. "He came back, after these seven years?What was his name?"

Ruto nodded, saying "Link."

Fami gasped. "Link? Betrothed?"

Ruto smiled weakly. "Yes, we were to be married.But since I am now a Sage, it cannot be."

Nerah shook her head. "So that is why you weren't at the domain.You are actually a Sage!"

Ruto nodded. "Yes, I am.I must protect the temple from people like that wizard.I am glad you came.He is extremely powerful.If you hadn't shown up, I would have had a difficult time stopping him!Now he is gone, left for who knows where.Thanks to you, uh...Wynn."

Wynn nodded. "Think nothing of it."

"Now, you must stop the wizard.If he wishes to revive the lieutenants of Ganondorf, he cannot succeed.You are Hyrule's only hope to stop that menace.I must depart, and you as well.Goodbye, Nerah.I will see you again, and Wynn as well."

The blue light surrounded Ruto again, and then Wynn, Fami, and Nerah.Then they could not see, and they had the impression of flying through the air.As they flew, they could her Ruto's voice, as if heard from a distance, saying, "Goodbye, my friend, and good luck."

The next thing they saw was the beaches of Lake Hylia.They turned, and walked to leave the lake, going towards the Hyrule Marketplace.Nerah turned back for one last glance at the Water Temple.Beneath her breath, she said, "Goodbye, my dearest friend."And then she was gone, walking to catch up with the others.

******

Someone was watching them go.A black cloud hung over the Water Temple.If anyone had looked hard enough, they could have seen it was in the sinister shape of the face of Icarnos.But too quickly the cloud dissipated, and the lake returned to its peaceful quietness.Except for the echo of one last maniacal laugh.

******

Tane swung his sword again and again.The ReDeads just didn't give up!He was careful to cover his eyes, to prevent his being paralyzed by the monsters. Finally, the last ReDead fell, and he was able to look at the progress of his companions.Shezarah was still picking off the Poes with her bow, although most were defeated.Jier was still finishing off Gidbos, burning them with a torch he had made from a stick on the ground, lit afire.Most of the monsters were dead, and it took little time for Jier and Shezarah to finish off the remaining few.They walked up to Tane when they were done. "Now where?" Tane asked.

"Now, we enter the Shadow Temple." Jier stated confidently, pointing up the hill.Together, they turned and walked to the entrance of the temple.They came to a dead end, the entrance on a cliff high above their heads, with a fence.Without a word, Shezarah reached into a pouch at her side, and pulled out a rope, with a grappling hook on the end.She whirled it around her head, and threw it at the fence on the cliff.It hit it, and stayed there.Shezarah smiled. "Up we go."

******

They came to the entrance of the temple.In front of it was a dozen torches, each lit.The massive door to the temple was open, beckoning them.They entered it without a word.The interior of the temple was dark and forbidding,but they progressed on, until they came to a large gap in the path.Tane stepped to the edge, and looked down.He whistled, surprised at how far down the pit went. "How do we get across?" asked Tane.

"That is my job.Quiet, I must concentrate." Jier said.He stepped to the edge, and closed his eyes in concentration.He then made a gesture with his arms: raising them, one elbow above the hand of the other.The passage was lit by a mysterious glow.A bridge, glowing with that mysterious light, formed across the gap. Jier crossed it without another word, leaving his companions to stare in wonder at his back.Shezarah then followed Jier, with Tane right behind her.After they crossed the bridge, it disappeared.

They entered the next room.It was large, with a statue of a menacing bird in the center.Jier ignored it, walking towards another pit, although this one was much larger.A huge statue of a face with its mouth open was at the other side, and the mouth looked like the exit.Jier made the gesture, and another bridge formed.Tane shook his head, amazed at his ally's previously unknown power.They crossed the bridge, and entered the mouth.They proceeded down a passageway that had a dirt floor and walls.It sloped down, leading deeper into the ground.At the end was a gold statue.It consisted of two parts: an egg-shaped bottom with a mouth, and a spherical top.When Tane stepped too close to the statue, two parts of the top opened, and they were looking at an eye, which was looking back. "Look out!" Jier yelled.Tane moved away, but the eye shot a beam of energy, narrowly missing Tane.Tane stared down at his scorched armor.Shezarah leaped into action, charging at the thing and swinging her scimitar.Her weapon clanged off it without causing even a scratch.Once again, the monster narrowly missed its target. "Follow me!" Jier told them.He ran directly towards a flat wall.Tane and Shezarah followed, dodging the blasts from their enemy.Jier disappeared through the wall, Tane and Shezarah close behind.

After they went through the door, they stopped, panting for breath.Tane looked quizzically at the wall, which he could see, but could not touch.He shook his head in wonder.Jier murmured under his breath.Tane could make out, " That blasted Beamos!"After a short break, they continued on.The next room was large, with two identical statues in the center.The statues were of the Grim Reaper, and were holding scythes.They slowly turned in place, the blades outstretched.Anyone who stepped close would either have to dodge or become much shorter, real quick.Jier ran towards the statues, dodging the twirling blades. "Come on!" he yelled to the others.He went around the statues, and then to a small side passage.Shezarah ran after him, flipping over the sharp blade that sliced at her.Tane followed, ducking under the sharp scythes.When he caught up with Shezarah, she was staring at the wall at the end of the passage; it was a dead end.Jier was nowhere to be seen.

"What do we do?" asked Shezarah.

"Wait here.I'll check the end." Tane said, and walked toward the wall.It had some kind of odd decoration, a face carved into the wall.Suddenly, the ground wasn't under Tane's feet, and he plummeted straight down.He landed on his shoulder with a loud thud, and stayed on the ground.He was face up, and could see Shezarah fall down the pit.However, she landed on her feet, and smirked at Tane.He slowly stood, gently feeling his arm.It wasn't broken, but in the morning he would have a nasty bruise.He looked around him.They appeared to be in a cage, but Tane could see Jier below them through the grating, outside the cage.He motioned to them.Behind Tane, Shezarah was exiting the cage by a hole in the bottom.Tane followed her out.Together, they followed Jier to a wall, and started climbing.The wall was rough, and provided plenty of hand- and foot-holds.When they reached the top, Tane could see what Jier had been leading them to.It was a large boat, complete with a captain, a Stalfos.Jier leaped onto the boat, ignoring the fact that there was no gangplank.Tane and Shezarah hesitated, but the captain noticed them, and the boat started moving forward.They jumped to it, barely catching the side.They finished climbing the side, and drew their weapons.The captain looked at them, and roared.Two Stalfos fell from the roof to the boat, and attacked.Tane leapt at the captain, and the other two attacked the remaining Stalfos.After a few moments, Tane's sword made contact with the captain, and it crumbled.He looked at his companions.Shezarah finished off her opponent with a flash of her blade.Jier was defending himself from a series of attacks from the last Stalfos, but ended the attacks with a quick kick.The Stalfos tumbled off the side of the boat and into the murky darkness.Suddenly, the boat stopped and started shaking.Jier leaped off the left side onto firm ground with a cry.Tane followed, and Shezarah narrowly missed falling onto him.They turned, and saw the boat sink into nothingness.

Tane saw something from the corner of his eyes.He whirled, and stared at shock at the figure standing behind them. "You!" he cried.

It was Silver Knuckle.He was standing on what had been a column, but had fallen, creating a bridge between two flat areas.Behind him was a decorated door, probably leading to the final chamber.He laughed evilly. "Where is your little friend?I was looking for a challenge." he taunted.

"Well, right now he is probably finishing off your master, pal.Anyway, I can take you out just as well as he can!" Tane responded.

Silver Knuckle chuckled. "You, weakling?You aren't fit to clean my armor!That female is probably a better warrior than you!"

Shezarah stepped in front of Tane. "Yes, I am.You stand no chance against me."

Silver Knuckle beckoned her on. "Come on then, little one."

She stepped out onto the column, her scimitar at the ready.Silver Knuckle swung his massive ax at her, attempting to knock her off the edge into the gap, which seemingly had no end.She dodged, somersaulting over the head of her enemy.She swung her scimitar, but he showed no acknowledgement of the blow.He slowly turned to face her, trying to keep his balance.Tane saw his opportunity.Silver Knuckle had his back to Tane.Tane drew his ax, and climbed onto the column.

Meanwhile, Silver Knuckle was amusing himself by threatening Shezarah with his ax.He never heard Tane come up behind him, and swing his ax.Caught by surprise, Silver Knuckle toppled off into the dark chasm.Tane watched him fall.Suddenly, he stopped in mid-air.A purple light surrounded him, and he disappeared.Tane groaned. "He got away again!"

"He is not our worry.Follow me to the chamber of our true enemy." Jier ordered.

They walked across the column, and to the decorated door.Tane opened it with a savage kick.They walked into the chamber.Tane was shocked to see nothing was there with them.However, Jier walked to the center of the room.He paused, and then leaped.He fell into a hole Tane had not noticed.Tane hesitated at the edge, but Shezarah pushed him, and he fell.And for once, it was a soft landing.He bounced back up into the air, and then stayed down.Shezarah landed next to him.They looked at their surroundings.They stood on a giant drum, and the land surrounding it was coals, shedding green light.They were also not alone.Standing at one side of the drum was a young man, cape twisting in the gusts of the air in the chamber.He was the apprentice wizard, Seron.He was staring at them intently.

"Where is Fami?And that fool Wynn?" he demanded.

"None of your business, scum.We are your worry, not him." Tane warned Seron.

Seron smiled. "You are an idiot.Do you really think that you can defeat me?" Seron asked merrily.

Shezarah stepped directly in front of Seron."I will finish you myself!"

Seron stepped back and drew his sword. "_En guarde!"_Shezarah swung at him.He blocked, but he fell back.He laughed. "Impressive.But of no matter.I am a magician, not a warrior."He raised his palm to face her.She leaped, her blade arcing toward his chest, but her attack was stopped in mid-air by Seron's blast.She collapsed to the ground.

Tane watched furiously.When he saw Shezarah fall, he charged into action, attacking Seron relentlessly.He pressed Seron back to the edge of the drum.Seron blocked with his sword, but was losing the fight.Suddenly, he kicked Tane away.He raised his arms above his head, and a dark power entered the room, summoned by Seron.A shadowy figure could be seen at the opposite end of the drum.Slowly, it came into focus.It was the one of the biggest monsters Tane had ever seen!It consisted of a limbless body hanging from the ceiling.It had a long neck, at the end of which was its lone eye, a giant red sphere peering at the adventurers.Two huge, decaying hands descended from the ceiling.They were floating, the wrists not connected to arms.They reached the drum, and, to the surprise of the heroes, started beating the drum.The drum rose and fell in time with the beats.The monster was the infamous Bongo-Bongo, the shadow monster that had plagued this temple.Jier turned to the monster, then to Seron, and back again.Tane yelled to him, "Fight that monster!I'll handle Seron!"

Seron chuckled. "You, mercenary?I will enjoy this."

"It is good to know that you will enjoy your last breathing moments, slime." Tane taunted.And with that last comment, he met his foe in battle.

Shezarah and Jier attacked the monster. "Attack the hands!The Bongo-Bongo attacks with them!" he yelled, warning Shezarah.She nodded, and they attacked.Their blades bounced off the hide of the beast, only serving to make it madder.It swung at them, trying to make contact.Jier dodged one hand, but the other caught him.It tossed him across the drum.Shezarah drew her bow, and carefully aimed at a hand, with difficulty due to the rising and falling of the drum.Perhaps an arrow could damage this creature.Her bow hummed, and her arrow imbedded itself in the hand.The hand pulled back, injured.The other hand came at her, but she stopped it with a careful shot.The head descended to the drum and charged at her.She wanted to stop it with a shot, but she was paralyzed in fear.Suddenly, she was flying through the air, propelled by the force of the monster's collision with her.She looked up, and could see the monster change direction, and then Jier leaped at it.He buried his short blade deep into the eye.The beast roared in pain, and knocked Jier away.Shezarah stood, and rejoined the battle..

Meanwhile, Tane was battling Seron.Seron was skilled with his sword, but Tane was more experienced.Seron was losing his ground.Finally, Seron stepped away, lowering his sword. "I tire of this.You will perish by my magic!" He raised his palm. Tane tried to dodge, but was too slow.A lightning blast caught him in the chest, and he fell to the ground.Seron stood over him, smiling cruelly. "You are weak."Seron taunted.He was rather surprised when Tane's boot caught his leg, and he tumbled to the ground.Tane stood, a small grin on his face.Seron climbed to his feet, watching Tane cautiously.Tane raised his sword, as did Seron.They lunged at each other, again battling to the death.

Jier stared up at the enraged Bongo-Bongo.It had covered its eye with its hands, but as he watched it uncovered the eye. The eye was glowing oddly.The body lowered, and the eye pointed at him.He jumped to the left.Barely missing, a red beam of light shot through where he had been standing.It he hadn't moved, the beam would have burned right through him.The two hands attacked, trying to clap together with him in the middle.He timed the rising of the drum, and used it as a springboard.He leaped clear of the hands.

Tane was busy attacking Seron.Seron blastedwith his lightning, but Tane caught it on his sword.Tane lunged at Seron, swinging his sword wildly.He knocked Seron's sword flying.Seron glared at him, and then spoke. "You are foolish for coming here.I will let you leave alive, if you wish."Tane merely shook his head.Seron growled. "Then die!" He raised his hands above his head, generating some sort of power.Tane turned to Shezarah, and caught her eye.He pointed to the monster, and she nodded, understanding.She stood facing the monster, Tane and Seron in line behind her.She shot three arrows, each landing in the eye of Bongo-Bongo.The monster rushed at her, furious.Seron released his spell, an orb of black light, at Tane.Simultaneously, Tane and Shezarah dodged to opposite sides.The orb flew past them, and made contact with the eye of Bongo-Bongo.There was a brilliant flash of light, and then the monster collapsed, roaring in mortal pain.Seron stared at the monster, horrified at what he done.Tane took advantage of his distraction and slashed.His blade was buried deep in Seron's side, and Seron fell to his knees.He looked blankly up at Tane, and then his cape swirled around him.He vanished.

"Blast!" Tane yelled. "He got away again!"

Meanwhile, Jier was looking at Bongo-Bongo.The beast was injured, but not finished. "Help me." Jier pleaded under his breath.He felt the power enter him, and he pointed to the monster.A blast of light left his finger, and hit Bongo-Bongo, decimating it.He smiled proudly, nodding a thank-you.The other stood next to him, and then the temple disappeared.

Chapter 9 

They emerged outside.Tane turned to congratulate Shezarah, and she nodded. "Satisfactory." she remarked, speaking of his performance.Tane blushed.Jier faced the temple.Suddenly, a purple light appeared in front of them.A figure appeared in the light.It was a woman, muscular, with silver hair.Her features were elegant, stately.She was looking at Jier. "Good job.You are as powerful as I had thought."

Jier's eyes brightened at that. "Thank you...Impa."

"Impa!Of the Shiekah?" Shezarah asked, shocked.

"Yes.I am the Sage of the Shadow Temple.I was able to help Jier banish that monster, forever hopefully." she said.She smiled at Jier, with something in that smile...pride, Tane realized.She then added, "If it hadn't been for Jier, then I would have had trouble ridding the temple of that bothersome wizard.Thank you, my son." she said.

Tane started to take offense at not being acknowledged, but then stared at her in shock. "He is your son?" he asked.

Jier turned to him. "It is time for you to know the truth."He reached up, and pulled off his mask, revealing his face.He had a large nose, jet-black hair, and dark eyes. "I am Jier, son of Impa, the youngest Sheikah.My mission is to protect the royal family.However, my mother told me to journey with you.She knew that eventually we would face Icarnos, and that I could help you defeat him."

Tane shook his head in wonder. "You mean, you knew we would go up against that wizard?"

Impa nodded. "Yes, and that you would need all the help you could get.It is the destiny of your friends, and Wynn's destiny to defeat him."

Tane just stood there, amazed beyond words.Impa nodded to her son, and then spoke. "Now, I must leave.I must finish cleansing the temple of the monsters." And with that, she was gone, the purple light reappearing.Tane yelled at her to stop, he had more questions, but she didn't return.The adventurers returned silently back to the village of Kakariko.

******

Once again, Kakariko was back to normal.The people of the town were moving, talking, doing business.It was if Seron had never cast his evil spell.Suddenly, someone rushed toward them.When he turned, Tane could see it was the Cucco Lady.She grasped Jier in a fierce hug, not willing to let go.Tane could see Jier's face light up in a smile.Then she let go, and started talking to Jier rapidly.Tane motioned Shezarah to follow him away from Jier and the Cucco Lady.Those two needed some time alone.

******

A while later, they left the village.Jier and the Cucco Lady had said their good-byes, promising to see the other again soon.Now the three adventurers journeyed to the marketplace.When they entered it, the sun was making its descent in the west.They walked around, ignoring the stares of the carpenters, until they found their companions in a reconstructed shop.They were in a diner, eating hardily.They looked up in surprise.Nerah stared at Jier's exposed face.Tane, Shezarah, and Jier sat down next to them.They broke into conversation.Wynn interrupted the talking by clearing his throat loudly.He turned to Jier."Were you successful?" he asked.

"We were.The beast was defeated, as was Seron.However, Seron escaped, and Sliver Knuckle attacked us, but was defeated.He, too, got away." Jier answered.

Wynn sat up quickly. "Silver Knuckle?Alive?"Jier nodded solemnly.Wynn grimaced, and sat back. "We were successful as well.But Icarnos nearly defeated me, and then vanished.We saw no sign of him afterward."

"Where do we go next?" Nerah asked.

One of the diner's few other occupants approached their table.Wynn stared up at him.He was in his late teens, about Tane's age.He was dressed in a green tunic, in a style that looked Kokirish.He was blond, and had blue eyes.A silver earring was in each of his ears.A sword and shield were on his back.His large ears identified him as a Hylian.He spoke to Wynn. "Greetings.I was wondering, have you seen anything...strange... happening around here?"

Wynn snorted. "You could say that.My companions and I have just gone up against a wizard that was trying to revive the lieutenants of Ganondorf.That is pretty strange, in my book."

Fami stared at the newcomer, a flicker of recognition in her eyes. "Hey, don't I know you..." she started.

The newcomer interrupted her. "The lieutenants of Ganon?You joke!"

Wynn shook his head. "I have fought two myself, and my friends destroyed one."

The newcomer looked at him curiously. "You?Say, do you know where this villain is going next?" he asked.

Wynn again answered no.The newcomer sighed, and turned to leave. "Good luck, then, and farewell."Fami sat up, wanting to call out to him, but he was gone.Wynn looked at her curiously, but she said nothing.

They finished their meals, and went out into the marketplace.They rented a room for the night, and settled into bed, all exhausted.They all fell asleep quickly, except for Fami, whose own thoughts and memories keep her awake.

******

The next morning, they left the Hyrule Marketplace.They could see the carpenters walk up the path to the castle, or where it had once existed, before Ganondorf.They exited the marketplace, and then stopped in the field.Tane walked up to Wynn. "Where to now?" Tane asked.

Wynn thought for a second. "I don't know.Perhaps-"

He was cut off by a brilliant red light shining in front of him, appearing from nowhere.He gasped. "A Sage!"

A Goron stepped out of the light.He was tough-looking, and had a beard.Wynn ran to him, shouting out, "Darunia!"The Goron clutched him in a bear hug, squeezing Wynn tightly.When they broke away, Wynn gasped for the breath the Goron had knocked out of him.Darunia smiled proudly at him.

"You have grown much since I saw you last, little hero!" Darunia said, shaking Wynn.Wynn nodded.

"Well, you have become a Sage since then, you old lug!" Wynn responded.

Darunia nodded solemnly. "Yes, I have.And you seem to have gotten yourself into trouble, as always."

Wynn frowned. "That I have.Do you know about my parents?"When Darunia shook his head, a look of concern in his eyes, Wynn went on, "They were captured by the evil wizard Icarnos.He is trying to revive-"

"I know." Darunia interrupted. "I know.That is why I am here."

Wynn stared at him quizzically. "But, why?"

"I am here to tell you that Icarnos journeys to Death Mountain.I feared he was destined for the Fire Temple, but he passed it.He has gone to fortress behind the mountain instead."

"Fortress?What fortress?" Tane spoke up.

Darunia launched into his long tale. "Long ago, the races of Hyrule warred against one another.For many years, the battles ravaged Hyrule.Massive fortresses were constructed, to use in the war.However, the King of Hyrule was able to bring the races together peacefully, and put an end to the war."

"However, one group didn't want peace.They were magic users, and made a fort behind Death Mountain.They came up with an idea to rid themselves of their peaceful enemies; they created a dragon.It was meant to be used to kill all the life on Hyrule.However, a lone adventurer made his way into the fort, and fought his way to the dragon.They clashed for hours, but finally the beast fell, dead." Darunia placed his large hand on Wynn's shoulder. "That brave man was your father.He is an old friend.He was once a magician, working for the King of Hyrule with his partner.They helped the king bring the war to a peaceful end.However, your father's partner was not completely loyal to the king.He later swore fealty to Ganondorf, after the king's fall from power.His name," said Darunia venomously, "was Icarnos.He betrayed your father to Ganondorf.However, your father escaped, going to his family, you and your mother.Ganondorf was not pleased, and nearly killed Icarnos.In the end, I think Icarnos went insane."

"Now, Icarnos has gone to the last remaining fortress, beside that of the Gerudo, on Hyrule.He plans to resurrect the evil dragon there, the Verr Dragon.It is up to you to stop him before he can, or slay the dragon.I cannot go, but you are not alone." Darunia pointed to the others. "You have your most trusted friends as allies, and, with their help, can put an end to Icarnos and his evil plans.Farewell, young hero.I must depart.Good luck!" The old Goron was again surrounded by light, and then was gone.

Wynn turned to his friends.A new determination burned in his eyes."On to Death Mountain."And so they left, going on to what may be their final battle.

******

They climbed up the Death Mountain Trail.While undertaking the long climb, they discussed their earlier battles.Jier explained to Nerah, Fami, and Wynn his true identity.When Wynn told of his battle against Icarnos, Jier stopped him."You said that you used a nut to blind him, correct?" When Wynn nodded, Jier laughed. "That is what is called a Deku Nut.They are common tools of the Sheikah, when we wish to escape." Wynn smiled at that.

"It works pretty well to fight, as well as escaping." Wynn informed him.

They climbed up to the summit of Death Mountain.When they reached the point where

they had battled King Dinolfos, they were surprised to see two Iron Knuckles standing guard.The battle was fast and furious, but the guards fell quickly, without incident.They progressed to the side of the mountain, and Shezarah passed out the gear necessary to scale the mountain.They climbed the side of the mountain.Wynn blinked, the fierce winds blowing dirt into his eyes.After a long period of time climbing, they reached their destination.They marched down a path, the fortress looming closer and closer.They finally reached the entrance of the fort.And to their surprise, there were more guards posted in front of the fort.Humans.Wynn recognized the one standing in the front, and called to him. "So, Agno, why are you here?"

"It is obvious, little one." Agno said, a sneer on his scarred face. "I am to stop you, no matter what."

Wynn looked at the other guards.There were seven of them, all armed.Wynn and his friends were outnumbered.Wynn drew his sword. "You will move, or we will have to move you.Or your corpse, it makes no difference."

Ango glared at him, and then charged.The battle that ensued was lengthy.The mercenaries had the original advantage, but with the fighting skill of Tane and Wynn, the magic of Nerah and Fami, and the prowess of Jier and Shezarah, that advantage quickly eroded.Finally, all that remained of the mercenaries were Agno and two others, who had retreated from the battle.The others were on the ground clutching wounds or unconscious.Agno looked back at the standing mercenaries. "Get over here!" he ordered.They shared a glance at the other, then turned and ran.Agno watched them flee, and then turned to his enemies.They surrounded him.He hefted his sword, and said, "I am a mercenary.A mercenary fights to the death, only cowards run."

Tane laughed. "Then be a dead mercenary, or a live coward."

Agno looked at him appraisingly, and then ran the path his two companions had just used to escape. "You haven't seen the last of me!" he yelled to Tane.He turned, and Wynn watched his back recede into the distance.Then Wynn turned to face the fortress.It was much larger than the Gerudo Fortress.It was made of dark stone, and the parapets and watchtowers were high above his head.The openings in the walls stared blankly, empty holes that allowed Wynn to see into this long-forgotten place of war.Wynn could almost feel the hate and anger of the magic-users, all long-dead now.It was if the evil emotions had stained this monument of the old times.Wynn hesitated, fearing what may lurk in this old temple of war.

Wynn turned to his friends.Each eyed the fort warily.When he caught the eye of each one, they nodded, and went to enter.Wynn entered last, looking back to the Death Mountain, afraid that this may be the last time he would see it.

******

They stood together right inside the entrance of the fort.They were standing in a large room, with several halls branching off from it.Jier turned to Wynn. "What is our strategy?" he asked.Wynn stopped to think.

"I think that we should split up.I-" he started.He was cut off by the entrance of two guards, wolves.They resembled the monsters inside the Forest Temple, but their fur was red in color.Their fangs gleamed in the dim light, and the instinctual intelligence of the beasts shone through their bright eyes.One lunged at Wynn, claws outstretched and reaching for Wynn's throat.Wynn's quick swipe with his Biggoron's Sword finished it.Shezarah joined the fight, her scimitar striking down another of the beasts.Jier and Tane attacked, and the guards were soon defeated.Wynn turned his back on the corpses of the slain beasts. "As I was saying, we should split up.Tane, Shezarah, you two need to scout ahead for more guards.Jier, you lead the girls, and search for Seron or Icarnos.Their power in magic might be able to search him out.I will go to the resting place of this dragon, the Verr." Wynn explained, a gleam in his eyes. "I need to see this fearsome monster that my father killed, so long ago.And see if I am able to stop it."

And so they separated.Jier lead Nerah and Fami, taking a path to the right.Shezarah and Tane went straight, taking the path dead ahead.Wynn turned to his left, and started walking.He took one of the two paths on the left side.

Wynn traveled down the path.For hours, he explored, fighting off the occasional intruding guard.Finally, he reached a large room.It had many paths possible to explore, one of which led outside.Wynn's face became dismayed when he caught sight of the dead wolves lying on the ground.He was back at where he had started!He emerged from the path he had traveled, and then saw the path he had first entered a short distance from it.He sighed, and walked to the center of the room.Suddenly, a vision flashed before his eyes.

His father, looking years younger than he had the last time he had seen him, was standing in the center of this room.The room was lit by burning torches, and the walls had much less cracks.Standing next to Wynn's father was a older man, maybe in his thirties.He was tall, and had black hair, already turning to gray.Wynn could hear the voices of his father and the other man.

"Listen, my friend, I say we destroy this place.It is a place of evil!"

The older man turned to the impatient man Wynn knew as his father. "Don't be too anxious, Baro.This will serve as a lesson to those who decide to disrupt the peace of Hyrule."

Baro frowned. "Still, the magic-users may use this place as a stronghold again, when we are too old to stop them."

The older man laughed. "Then your little son will have to stop them.Or his son.As long as the blood of Baro exists on Hyrule, then we have nothing to worry about.Anyway, I have seen your son.He is strong enough that he could take on a Verr as a toddler!" the older man joked, gesturing to an opening in the wall.The opening was the path to the Verr, Wynn knew without knowing how he knew.

Baro smiled, lightly. "Then we must seal the path to the lair of the dragon, in case anyone ever decides to attempt to revive the horrible beast.Join me, my oldest friend, and we can insure no one can enter the pit the beast once dwelled in."And with that, they turned to the opening, and raised their hands to it.A glow entered the room, and then the opening vanished.The two men clapped each other on the back, and turned to leave.As they left, Wynn could hear the name of the older man be mentioned by his father.The older man was Icarnos!

Wynn returned to his senses.Had he just seen the distant past?He shook his head in confusion.He looked around the room, searching for the way to the dragon.He somehow knew it to be on the left, yet he had explored the only two doors on that side...

Then he realized his mistake.There had been a door in the center of the other two, the door his father had sealed!That was the way to the Verr!He knew it to be!But how could he get past the barrier his father had placed there?He stepped up to the seemingly-solid wall.It was normal stone, yet a feeling nagged Wynn.He stepped back, and raised his palm. A bright light flashed, and then the wall did not exist.Wynn smiled, and then walked down the path to the Verr.

******

Meanwhile, Jier was leading Nerah and Fami down a path to find Icarnos.Conversation was sparse, since Jier was quiet by nature and the girls weren't on the best of speaking terms.Heedless of the lack of talking, Jier walked on.His mission did not require chatting.However, Fami spoke up suddenly, gesturing to a wall, "We have to go this way.Icarnos is there, I know it!"

Jier looked at her, making sure if she was certain.The look on her face told him; excitement, anxiety, and fear.Jier touched the wall.It was solid, but he, too, felt Icarnos's presence. "Can you get us past this wall?" Jier asked.Fami nodded uncertainly, but Nerah shoved her aside.

"Let me." she demanded, and cast her spell.An orb of blue light appeared, and then struck the wall forcefully.The old wall crumbled.Behind it was a dirt passageway, dark and unlit.Jier entered first, leading the way to their enemy.

******

Tane slipped his sword back into its sheath.The wolf guards were dead, as was many of their relatives he and Shezarah had met on the path to here.Their job had been to destroy any guards they came to find, and they had done their job very well, with many of the wolven creatures destroyed or near death.Also, a pair of Stalfos had appeared once, but they had been surprised, and fell to quick swipes of the heroes' weapons.Tane lead the way around another corner, reaching for his sword.He could hear something around here...

And then he saw them.It was a group of Iron Knuckles, standing around a door.They numbered four, as Tane found in his cursory count.He stepped back behind the corner before he could be seen, and motioned Shezarah to be silent.She immediately stopped, and glanced to his face, curious.He peered back around the corner, making certain the guards had not noticed him.The guards had not moved.He drew his sword, and whispered to Shezarah, "Big trouble.I count four guards, Iron Knuckles, grouped around a door.Two are next to the door, two are standing back from it.They nearly saw me, but we're safe.But we can't sneak up on them."

Shezarah grimaced. "Then there is always the direct approach.Just hope this is all of them, and they don't have back up down the hall."

Tane nodded, frowning.This wasn't going to be easy. "On three." he said, and counted down.When his last finger dropped, he and Shezarah stepped around the corner simultaneously, their battle cries splitting the air.They dashed into battle, tackling the defenders.The sounds of battle could be heard all over the fort.

******

Jier dashed up a flight of stairs.He knew their enemy was near; he could sense it.His hand dropped to his short sword.For the good of Hyrule, this wizard must be stopped.Jier glanced back at the girls, who were a short distance away, and losing ground.That was good.They would just get in his way if he found the wizard.He opened a trapdoor, and peered out.He was on the roof of the old fortress.And right there, a short distance away, was Icarnos.

Jier dashed at the old man, his sword clutched in his hand.The wizard saw him coming, and raised his hand. Jier rebounded off an invisible barrier, falling back.The wizard laughed humorlessly, and then spoke, "You are here to destroy me.You have failed.You will die for this."

Jier stood, staring at the wizard defiantly. "I will not. I will kill you!"

The wizard chuckled. "You are as foolish as the son of Baro.You, however, do not have the blood of my nemesis running through your veins.I have no reason to spare you." He slowly raised his hand again to chest level.Jier charged again, but was stopped by the bolt of lightning cast by Icarnos.He fell to his knees, the darkness covering him.

******

Fami watched Jier fall.She could see the wizard smirk at Jier's fallen body, and then he dissolved into a dark cloud.The cloud drifted away.Fami and Nerah ran to Jier, fearing for him.Fami looked at his face.It was contorted in pain.Jier was unconscious.Fami stood near him, but Nerah pushed her away. "Stand back!I have had more training as a healer."

Fami watched, anxious for her friend.Nerah went to work, and within moments, she was done.She stepped away from his still-lifeless body, and turned to Fami. "I can do nothing more.Either it will work, or I have failed.All we can do is protect him until he awakens."

Suddenly, a howl rose from behind them.As Fami watched, two of the wolf-monsters emerged from the shadows, and she realized that protecting Jier wouldn't be easy at all.

******

Wynn walked alone through a dark, musty cave.There was no light beside that shed by his improvised torch.He felt as if the walls were closing in on him, and could not see any exit.And then suddenly he was out.However, he wasn't in the fort, nor in the open air.He was in a large cavern.The cavern was so big, it could hold the entire village of Kakariko.The heat in this place was incredible!Wynn felt as if he was roasting alive.He then saw why: the bottom of the cave, far below the narrow shelf of stone he stood on, was molten lava.In the middle of the cave was a large rock jutting up from the lava.The stone was as wide as the massive room in the Water Temple.It was also flat on the top.This was probably done by the magic-users, to provide a place to address the dragon.Across the platform was an isolated corner that was shadowed.As Wynn looked at it, he realized that that was where the dragon must dwell.Also, Wynn noted that the only way to that niche was to cross a narrow rock bridge to the huge stone, and then cross another bridge to the shadowed area.And so he started across to his enemy.

He walked carefully.If he took a bad step, he would plummet into the lava far below.Suddenly, four guards appeared from nowhere.They were Lizalfos, armed with short daggers.They had been concealed by Icarnos's magic, and had probably been ordered to stop Wynn at all costs.Wynn knew this battle would be extremely dangerous; it was hard enough to fight these creatures without having to worry about falling to his death.He drew his sword as the lead Lizalfos ran recklessly toward him.The monster slashed rapidly, leaving Wynn to fend off the blows with his Biggoron-made blade.Then Wynn took the offensive, driving the beast back.The monster leaped over his head, trying to trap Wynn between him and his compatriots.Wynn spun, holding his sword out.The next Lizalfos in line was injured, and the leader, which was behind Wynn, was propelled off the bridge, screaming in rage as it flew to its destruction.Wynn stabbed the other Lizalfos, and moved menacingly toward the next in line.The injured Lizalfos, which Wynn had assumed was dead, grabbed his leg, the claws digging into his calf.Wynn kicked it, and it fell off the side, letting go of his leg.Another monster took advantage of his distraction, and stabbed at him.Wynn dodged, but the blade left a score in his armor.Wynn nearly lost his footing, but balanced himself and attacked.The Lizalfos was nearly beheaded by his strike.Wynn stepped over it, certain it was slain, and moved to the last creature.It growled, uncertain.It stepped back, and hissed.Wynn pounced, his sword arcing at the monster.The monster was dead long before it fell into the fiery bottom of the cavern.

The hero then moved on to the huge stone in the middle of the cavern.He stared into the darkness across from his position, fear clutching his chest.He stopped at the center of the flat area of the stone, and called out. "Where are you, dragon?" he yelled, his voice cracking.He could not now control his fear, yet he knew he must, in order to survive. "I am here to destroy you!"

A pair of yellow eyes watched the human on the platform.The eyes belonged to an ancient creature, one that knew only hate for humans.The last human to come here had been impudent, and had tried to kill this beast.He had stood no chance against the dragon's might, but the dragon had erred.He had underestimated the speed and agility of the pest.The lone adventurer had been able to avoid his power, and had attacked the old one.The wounds were insignificant, but even the small wounds had sapped the dragon's power.Eventually the dragon could take no more, and had fallen.

But now was different.The dragon was wiser.It would not underestimate this human.He would die quickly, and then the dragon could complete its task: the elimination of all life on Hyrule.It would even destroy that foolish wizard that had revived him.The dragon roared, and emerged from the shadows.This would be the hero's final battle, and the Verr would finally avenge itself.

Wynn watched with trepidation as the dragon emerged from its den.It was huge, as wide as a house, and very long, nearly so long that from head to tail it could cover a quarter of the length of the cavern that was its home.It was scaled, each armored one a dark red color.It had wings, but they were folded up in a neat bundle.The dragon's head was frightening; it was long, with a eyes of a sickly yellow. The pupils were slitted, reptilian.A bone beak was on the end of the face, and behind it was fangs.The dragon's ears were perked.Wynn glanced at the feet of this monstrosity as it stalked toward him.They had claws, each nearly as long as a dagger, and as sharp.The tail twitched.It was covered in sharp spines, and at the end was a spike.

The dragon came to a halt in front of him.It roared, and glared down at him.Wynn gripped his sword white-knuckled, and tried to prepare himself for the battle that would soon ensue.The hero and the dragon watched each other, knowing that one of them would soon stop breathing, or even both.They attacked at the same time, and the battle began.

******

Tane looked at the remains of the last Iron Knuckle.He sighed.What evil magic had caused these to exist?After killing this guard, Tane had noticed something.The armor, which was the only visible part of those enemies, was in fact empty.Icarnos must be powerful, to bring these creatures into existence.Tane turned to Shezarah.She was uninjured, but was slightly bruised.Her face had smudges of dirt on it and several scratches.Tane probably didn't look too clean, either.Shezarah spoke up to him. "I have seen no sign of remaining guards.Perhaps we have defeated the last of them in this area."

"I hope." Tane said nervously.He motioned to the door the Iron Knuckles had stood around. "Maybe we should what ole' Icarny thought needed so many guards for." Shezarah nodded.Tane motioned the door again, this time with a gentlemanly sweep of his arm.She granted him a brief smile for his chivalry, and patted him on the back as she walked by.Tane beamed as he followed her.

They proceeded down the path.When they emerged at the end, they saw they were in a giant cavern.The platform that led from where they stood to the bottom had been destroyed, blasted into splinters of stone.Icarnos had came this way, and probably wanted to prevent anyone from following him.Tane looked down.Far below them was a huge stone, and two figures doing battle.Tane recognized them.One was Wynn, and the other was the infamous Verr dragon.Tane frowned, unable to help his partner.From here, they could only watch the battle unfold.

******

Wynn watched the dragon carefully, sweat running down his face.They had battled for what felt like hours, yet probably was only minutes.The dragon had attacked by lunging at him, jaws open, or slashing with its horrible claws.Wynn had dodged these, and responded with slashes of his sword.However, the beast's scales were too hard, and his sword had merely bounced off.Now, they stood apart, reevaluating their respective foes.Neither would grant the other any mercy, and both knew that they would not survive if the other lived.The dragon then charged, stopping in front of Wynn and clawing at him.Wynn jumped to the side, but was too slow.He flew through the air for a moment, and then landed with a thud.Wynn looked down, dismayed, to his armor.Several deep tears in it marred the surface. "Hey!My father gave me this armor!" he yelled.The dragon snorted.

Wynn growled, and ran at the dragon, yelling.The dragon, surprised, just watched him.Wynn slammed his sword into the softer-looking underbelly of the huge monster.It roared in pain, and its forepaws flailed, trying to strike down the pest that had hurt it so.One smacked Wynn, and he again was airborne.He slowly stood.The dragon was calm now, but fury burned in its eyes.It roared, and charged at Wynn.Wynn ran at it, ducking the claws.He prepared to stab again, but the dragon used its head to knock Wynn away.Wynn looked up into the gaping maw of the beast as it tried to make a meal of him, but rolled to the side.The dragon's jaws clacked together, their target not inside.Wynn quickly climbed to his feet, and slashed at the side of the dragon.Once again, his sword bounced off.Without warning, the dragon attacked, using a new method.Its tail raised into the air, and it hurtled toward Wynn.Wynn rolled out of the way, and the spiked tip smashed into the stone.Splinters of rock flew everywhere.Wynn ran back, then turned.The two combatants faced each other, and then charged once again.

After a short struggle, Wynn's sword again found its target, and Wynn thrust it deep into the belly of his foe, trying desperately to kill it.The dragon cried out, and its claws again found Wynn.When he landed, Wynn looked down.He was bleeding now, from several deep gashes.He stood, ignoring the agony that movement caused.The dragon screamed, and then reared back.The wings unfolded, and flapped, beating the air.It slowly floated into the air, and then flew away.

"Get back here!" Wynn called hoarsely, "I haven't killed you yet!" As if obeying, the dragon turned back at the end of the cavern, and flew at Wynn, gaining speed as it came closer.Wynn realized what probably was going to happen if he didn't move.He ran, sprinting for the edge of the platform.As it came close, the dragon roared, and exhaled its fiery breath.The pyro chased Wynn, right behind him.Wynn didn't notice how close the edge of the stone was, but found out rather quickly.The ground under his feet suddenly wasn't there, and Wynn looked down into the lava.He flailed, trying to make contact with the stone he now missed so much.Finally he grabbed the edge.Pain shot through him, emanating from the wounds in his side.He could hear the dragon land, satisfied it had won and Wynn was falling into a very hot place.Wynn grinned, and hoisted himself up onto the stone's top.The dragon wasn't looking at him.He charged at it, his sword at the ready.The dragon saw him when he got near, but it was too late.Wynn stabbed deep into the dragon, trying to hit the beast's heart.The dragon screamed out.Wynn ran back from it, and watched the monster swing its paws, in rage and pain.Wynn smirked. "I have succeeded.Like my father before me, I have killed the Verr." His words did not seem to be heard by the dragon, but finally they sunk in.The dragon glared at him, hate in his eyes, along with a sudden realization of an irony, one that had killed the beast today.

The Verr lunged at Wynn, trying to bite its slayer.Wynn dodged, but the beast charged, trying to trample Wynn.Wynn rolled out of the way,but barely.The dragon was enraged beyond hope or reason, just wanting to avenge itself to the one that was responsible for his death, and the descendent of the one that had done it in so long ago.When it reached the edge of the platform, it turned, and then the tail came at Wynn.Each time, it came closer to hitting Wynn.He was tired, and hurt.This would have to end soon, one way or the other.Wynn finally decided on a course of action, and took it.He hurled his precious sword at the dragon, aiming for its throat.The sword sliced it the tender neck, plunging nearly completely through it.The dragon roared, beyond pain, grasping at its own neck.It knocked the sword away, and then reared, standing on its back legs, coming to its tallest height.And then, so-slowly, as if in a dream, toppled.It fell off the stone, and crashed into the bridge leading to the place where it had rested.The bridge crumbled, and the dragon fell far down, into the lava.The Verr was dead, no more a threat to Hyrule.

Wynn stood there a while, lost in thought.He then turned, picked up his sword, and left the chamber.

******

Tane watched him leave the cavern.That kid was powerful, more so than even Tane had given him credit for.He cheered Wynn silently, and then turned to Shezarah.She was smiling, and her expression was mirrored on Tane's own face.They then left, leaving the cavern to be again devoid of life, as it was meant to be.

They walked out into the hall, and started toward the exit, wanting to be free of this fortress.However, one obstacle stood in there path.As they turned a corner, they were face to helmet with the infamous Silver Knuckle.He laughed evilly as the pair drew their weapons. "You two are pitiful.Why, it will take me no time to kill you both."

"You again!Why won't you die?" Shezarah moaned.

Silver Knuckle nodded to her. "You, warrior, might be a challenge worthy of one of my underlings.Show me to Wynn, so I won't become bored."

"Ah, so we are afraid?Letting our inferiors do our dirty work?" Tane taunted.

Silver Knuckle advanced at him. "I will finish my task myself.You won't even cause me to break into a sweat."

Shezarah rushed at him, scimitar out.The metal-clad warrior merely swung his ax.Shezarah was knocked into a wall, hit by the flat side, and slumped to the floor.

Tane frowned.It wouldn't be easy to kill his enemy in this enclosed space.Silver Knuckle took up most of the space, but had his weapon in front of him.To get to his foe, Tane had to pass the ax.Tane positioned his sword in front of him, hoping for some defense.Silver Knuckle released a chuckle, and advanced at Tane.Trying to surprise the evil knight, Tane charged, his sword swinging.It hit his enemy, but it did no damage.The last thing Tane saw was the flat side of the ax.

Silver Knuckle watched Tane fall. It had been easy to defeat these adventurers.Now, he had to return to his master, with two captives in tow.The magic of Icarnos surrounded him.As he disappeared, Silver Knuckle took a last look at the fort.He might be the last to see it. __

******

Fami and Nerah returned to the entrance of the fortress, carrying Jier.Their mission had failed, Icarnos had escaped.Even worse, Jier had been hurt badly and was still unconscious.Fami and Nerah hadn't been hurt as badly, but they, too, were injured, due to those bothersome wolves.They had decided to take another path to exit the fort; there was a staircase leading down to the ground near their location.They had taken it, and were walking around the fort to the entrance.Soon the entrance was in view, and there they waited.Nerah and Fami started work on healing themselves, and Jier, still snoring, was left to himself.

Soon Wynn emerged, holding his side protectively.Fami ran to him, crying out.He held up a hand, warding her off. "How is Jier?" he croaked.

Nerah grimaced. "He will be fine, he just needs rest.However, you need more attention than he does."

Wynn shook his head. "It can wait till I see we are all okay." he insisted.The girls frowned, but obeyed.Suddenly a rumbling arose from the fort.They all turned to watch, not conscious of what was happening.The fort collapsed on itself, utterly destroyed.Wynn could sense it was Icarnos's magic that did this.But then he realized they had a bigger problem: Tane and Shezarah were still inside!


	3. Default Chapter Title

CHAPTER 10

They searched the ruins of the old fort for hours.However, nothing was found of the two adventurers, and eventually even Wynn knew that they never would.Fami came up to him, and placed her hand on his shoulder."Wynn, we have to go.We can do no more here." she gently told him.He sighed, not looking at her. 

Wynn glanced at her over his shoulder. "I will come soon.Go on."When she hesitated, he nodded. "Don't worry."She went, but looked none too happy about it. 

He watched her go.When he knew she was gone, with the others, he turned and stared into the night sky.He then yelled a vow to the world, and all that could hear him. 

"I herby swear, I will not let this injustice continue!I will not rest until I see the murderers of my friends dead!I will avenge them, or die in the attempt." he swore. 

"Tane did not deserve this fate, nor did Shezarah.Both were good people, honest.But the murderers of these good people will not survive to do it again.I will see to it." Wynn stopped, looking into the sky.A solitary tear rolled down his face.He then continued. 

"Icarnos, beware.I now have extra motivation to destroy you.Yes, I know you did this; I could sense your magic being used to destroy the fortress, the ruins of which I now stand on.I now have another reason to kill you, besides my parents and the sake of Hyrule.Yes, old one, you will regret killing my friends.It is a costly mistake, and the cost is your life." 

Wynn stopped.Without another word, he turned, and walked after his friends. 

****** 

He caught up with them soon after.They progressedup, and then down the mountain.They walked silently, each deep in thought about their deceased friends.They soon enough reached Kakariko.Lead by Wynn, they went to the house he had once rented for the night, and entered. 

They were greeted by the owner, who recognized Wynn.A look of concern came over his face when he saw that they all were injured. "We would like to rent four beds, if you would let us." Wynn started. 

The owner nodded, and then turned to the other person in the house, another man, and said, "Hey, these people are hurt.Go get that girl with the cuccos, she has had training as a healer, I think."The other man nodded, and started for the door.Wynn began to object, but Jier stopped him, placing a hand on Wynn's shoulder.Wynn looked at him; Jier was smiling.A grin formed at the ends of Wynn's mouth.A few minutes later, the girl ran into the house.She had a worried look on her face.She ran straight to Jier, ignoring the others.She started her work, making Jier lay down, cooing to him gently.When she wasn't looking, Jier shot Wynn another smile.Wynn laughed. 

Then Wynn noticed the presence of Nerah and Fami at his side.He turned to them. "Wynn, you need just as much attention as he does." Nerah started. 

"Yeah, those gashes the dragon left you could kill you if not attended to." Fami said, concern in her eyes. 

Wynn laughed. "Okay, go ahead.Do your healing magic, so in the morning I won't have to listen to your griping." he quipped.The girls began, and it wasn't long before they were finished, and all were asleep. 

****** 

Wynn woke the next morning slowly.His side still ached, but most of the pain was gone.He sat up.Fami was awake, and smiled at him.Nerah was snoozing peacefully.Jier was also asleep, the Cucco Lady in a chair beside his bed, dreaming with him.Wynn slowly got up, and walked over to Fami. "How is everyone?" he whispered. 

"Fine, we're all fine.You?" she said, gazing into his eyes. 

He grimaced. "I feel as if I had gone a couple of rounds with a mad Iron Knuckle without a weapon, but other than that I'm fine." 

She laughed lightly. "That is one of the things I like about you, your humor even in serious matters." Her smile grew.Her face tilted up, and Wynn's face moved down to kiss her.They were interrupted by a cough from behind Wynn.He turned.It was the owner of the house, and a smile was on his face. 

"Don't let me bother you." the owner said knowingly, and looked up at the roof. 

Wynn coughed into his hand. "Oh, don't worry.Say, what do I owe you?" he asked, moving over to the man.He noticed behind him Fami stood with displeasure on her beautiful face 

"Don't worry about it." the owner said, staring at the roof intently. 

"No, I insist." 

"Well, I will take 20 rupees, no more." 

Wynn reached into his pouch for money.He found it empty. "Perhaps I can work it off..." 

"Wait, I have the rupees." Nerah said from her bed.She stretched luxuriously, and then stood.She handed the man the rupees.Wynn started to object, but she shook her head, telling him not to worry.Wynn agreed, and moved to wake Jier.They left a few minutes later. 

The man was still staring at the roof as they got ready to leave.He could swear he had felt a drop of rain on his head a moment ago, yet he could see no leak.He watched as they left, noticing two things: the fact that it wasn't raining, and the smirk on the face of the Zora girl. 

****** 

Wynn stepped out of the house and looked at the village.Everything was normal, with everyone going about their business.Wynn's gaze fell on the stairs where he had first seen Tane.Tane, who Wynn would never see again....Wynn shook his head.Now was not the time to mourn.He had a task to complete first.But Wynn didn't even know where they were to go next.Perhaps...he knew he had to.He dreaded it, but he had to go to the Gerudo Fortress.He had to tell the Gerudo of Shezarah's death. 

But he had another stop first.He looked down at his dark armor.It was ruined, gashes running completely through it.His Zora Tunic could be seen through it, as it had replaced the one that had been destroyed through the armor.He motioned to the others, and instructed them to wait for him.He stripped off his old armor, and walked into the Bazaar. 

He was greeted by the owner inside.The owner was a huge man, powerfully built.His arms were thick with muscles.He greeted Wynn with an enormous smile."Well, what do we have here?" roared the large man. 

Wynn smiled slightly. "I'm looking for armor, since mine was destroyed.Do you have any to buy?" 

The shopkeeper's smile grew. "Yes, I do.Hold on."He reached under the counter, and pulled out a set of armor.It was brown, much lighter in color than Wynn's previous set.Wynn nodded, satisfied, and moved to take it.He looked at the shopkeeper again, and paused. 

"I have no rupees, but I do have this sword.I would be willing trade it for the armor." Wynn said, pulling out the sword.It was the one he had used before he had received Biggoron's.It had once been his father's sword. 

The shopkeeper admired the sword.It was worth much more than the armor, but he was not one to complain.He nodded. "Deal." 

Wynn turned, and left the shop, muttering a farewell over his shoulder.The shopkeeper watched him leave, then turned away, smiling at his good fortune. 

****** 

Wynn sighed to himself as he walked toward the place where his friends were waiting.He had not wanted to lose his father's sword., but he would need the armor in the coming confrontation with Icarnos.Perhaps he could later buy the sword back, if he survived. 

He arrived where his friends were standing, and nodded at each in turn. "Are we ready to go?" he asked quietly.They each nodded.He turned, and looked toward the exit of the town."Next stop, Gerudo Valley." 

****** 

They traveled all day, and it was dusk when they arrived at the Gerudo Fortress.They were greeted by the guards, although much more peacefully than the previous time.Wynn avoided the eyes of the Gerudo, wanting to delay having to tell them ofShezarah as long as possible. 

When they were escorted to the tables of the Gerudo, and given food, Wynn began his tale.He maintained his composure, his voice only cracking once in the tale.Each Gerudo's shock was mirrored on the face of their leader.They were silent for a long time, and then the leader nodded solemnly."She died honorably." She spoke, and then rose from the table. "Excuse me, but I am going to go to my quarters now."All were silent until she was gone, and then each Gerudo muttered to the people close to themselves. 

Wynn looked around, and then turned to the Gerudo nearest him. "By the way, do you know anything about a wizard named Icarnos?" 

The Gerudo thought for a second. "I know nothing of a wizard, but there was an old man that passed through here by that name.The guards let him pass into the desert, although I do not know why.Usually, no one is permitted to enter the desert without the permission of our leader." 

Wynn nodded slowly. "So...Icarnos is in the Spirit Temple?I'll have to pay him a visit tomorrow.My group is going to retire for the night.Before I go, however, perhaps I should...console her mother, or at least give her some encouragement.Who of the Gerudo was her mother?" 

The Gerudo looked at him, surprised. "You didn't know?Her mother is our leader." 

Wynn was startled, but then nodded. "Thank you.Perhaps I will talk to her tomorrow, since she is already in her room.Farewell."He then left the the table, accompanied by his friends.As they walked to their rooms, they passed a door, shut tight.Beyond it, they could hear the sounds of a quiet sobbing.Wynn sped up at the sound, and then they reached their rooms.Wynn and Jier entered their room, telling the girls good night.They were each soon asleep. 

****** 

They awoke the next morning a little before sunrise.They gathered supplies from the Gerudo storehouse, and left just as the sun began to ascend into the sky.Saying their good-byes to the Gerudo warriors, they departed for the Spirit Temple once again.Once they reached the gate that lead into the desert, Jier stopped. "Wait.How are we going to cross the desert?Between here and the temple is quicksand, and it is likely we will get lost, due to the sandstorm I see boiling ahead." 

Wynn shook his head. "No matter.We have to stop Icarnos.There is no telling what kind of evil he can brew up in the Spirit Temple." he said, a determined gleam in his eye.Together they walked into the desert. 

****** 

Someone was watching them go.From his post on a cliff high above them, a menacing figure stared at them.The person was concealed by the shadows of the rocky peak next to him, but silently stepped half-way into the light.It was a young man, dressed in black.He had an evil grin on his face, and a cold look in his eye. 

"So, Wynn, you are going to try to stop Icarnos?You are a fool." Seron murmured to himself.Seron grimaced at the memory of his now-former master.Seron had not received a warm welcome from Icarnos after Seron's last failure.Icarnos, who had been upset by the loss of the Verr, had taken out his anger on Seron.Seron had been lucky to escape with his life.Now he was on his own, no longer Icarnos's toady.He was now free to do as he wished.And the first thing he desired was revenge.Wynn and his friends would pay for Seron's humiliation, unless Icarnos destroyed them first.Seron turned, and walked away. 

****** 

They came to the first obstacle in the desert: a river of quicksand.It was too long to jump across, but the other end was near enough to throw their lighter equipment to the other side.They could see that, past the river, the air was dark with gusting sand. 

Wynn looked around, searching for something to help them cross.The only objects in sight that could possibly help were a pair of wooden poles, each with a red flag on top.These were guideposts, used to help the lost find their way back to the fortress.Wynn went over to one, formulating a plan.He called Jier over, and together they constructed a method of crossing the quicksand.They tied the posts together tightly, and pushed it over the quicksand.It was a bridge, albeit unsteady andonly a foot's width wide.Wynn crossed first, walking the bridge like a tightrope.He barely made it across, but he was finally able to sink to his knees at the other side.Fami crossed next.She made nearly made it across without incident, but, near the end, started to slip.She lunged for the end, and Wynn caught her.He lowered her, and they watched Nerah cross.Her crossing was eventless, and she smirked at Fami upon her safe landing.Jier was last, and nimbly made it over the river of the mirery quicksand.They walked on, toward the temple. 

Soon they were blinded by the sand that was seemingly everywhere.They were in the thick of a sandstorm.They clutched each other's hands, hoping not to become lost in the arid desert.Wynn lead them, although he was as blind as the others.He had no idea of where they were going, but they could not turn back, or they would still be lost.They had to move quickly, or their feet would sink into the sand.Fami stumbled once, but she stood again, and on they marched. 

Wynn thought as he walked.They were hopelessly lost, with nothing to guide them except for Wynn's instincts.Wynn fervently hoped they could find their way out of the desert, and they did not fall into a pit of quicksand or fall victim to other such desert hazards.He walked on, grasping Fami's hand. 

He was rather surprised to suddenly emerge from the sandstorm, and step into clear air.He wiped sand from his eyes and looked around, bewildered.He spied something a short distance away, and squinted, trying to make it out...it was the Spirit Temple! 

He looked back at his friends.They were still half-blinded by the sand encrusting their faces, and had not realized what had happened.Wynn grabbed Fami's arm, and turned her to face toward the temple.She looked around, confused, until she saw the temple.She let out a cry of joy, and flung her arms around Wynn.They had made it! 

CHAPTER 11

Wynn turned to Nerah and Jier, who were still unaware of their triumph.He silently motioned toward the temple.They looked for whatever he was pointing at, and then were stunned, not believing they had finally reached their destination.They then all started running for the temple, unaware of any danger. 

They were almost half-way there when they were attacked.Several monsters rose up from the sand, and lunged at the heroes.The monsters seemed to be plants.They were short, reaching up to Wynn's waist, and rounded.All of them were a brilliant green color.Their faceless heads were crowned with feelers.They surrounded Wynn and his friends, the feelers reaching for them.Wynn drew his sword, and sliced at one of the monsters.It was cut completely in half, and sunk back into the sand.Jier attacked the one next to the one Wynn had slain, killing it.With a gap in the enclosing circle of monsters, Wynn was able to lead his friends away from their pursuers. 

They made a mad dash for the protection of the temple, the creatures on their heels.More rose up to stop them, but the adventurers brushed them aside.The monsters steadily gained on them, but it was too late.The heroes made it to the safety of the temple's door, leaving the monsters behind in the sand. 

Once inside, they stopped to catch their breaths.Wynn looked around the interior of the temple warily, now on guard for any more attacks.The inside of the temple was dimly lit, but light enough to see.Nothing was in the room they were in, except for a large staircase.On each side of it was a serpentine statue with writing on it.Wynn waited for the others to become rested, and then they walked toward the stairs.Suddenly, two clay pots that had been resting in front of the statues ascended into the air, and flew toward Wynn.Wynn's Biggoron sword was in his hand in an instant, and he destroyed the pots in one swipe. 

Even more cautious now, Wynn progressed up the stairs.Fami and Nerah stood near behind him, and Jier drew his short sword.At the top of the stairs, they found a landing.There was a path the lead to the right near them, and in front of them were two more statues, although different in appearance.Wynn scowled at the sight of them.He turned to his friends. 

"Stay away from those statues.They are monsters in disguise, called Armos.I have encountered them several times working for the Gorons.They won't attack, unless someone touches them." Wynn said. 

He paused for a second, and then started to point to the right. "I guess we go..."He was cut off by the arrival of an elevator platform, descending from the floor above.It landed between the two Armos. "I guess we go up that elevator." Wynn finished.However, the elevator was only big enough for one of them to go up at one time.Jier walked up to it, and climbed on. 

"I'll go up first, to make sure it is safe.When I yell back, send the girls up." Jier instructed, and the elevator whisked him from sight.A short wait later, the elevator descended once more, accompanied by a shout from Jier, "It's safe!" 

Wynn turned to the girls.Both looked at him stubbornly, arms crossed over their chests.Neither wanted to go up the elevator first and leave Wynn alone with the other.They would only go if he told them to, Wynn knew.He sighed.Nerah was more likely to hold a grudge, so he had best send Fami up first.He nodded at the Kokiri girl."You're first, Fami." 

She frowned, but started toward the elevator.She saw Nerah smirk at her, and stuck her tongue out at the Zora.Nerah simply smiled...and stuck her foot out in front of Fami.Fami tripped over it, and stumbled right into one of the Armos.She jumped back as the thing started shaking, and a roar sounded from the once-stone statue.It was now metallic in appearance, and the features on its horrible face could be seen.Its two eyes glowed red, and its mouth was full of triangular, sharp teeth.Twin horns protruded from the sides of its head.In its hands were a sword and shield.It had no normal legs, but its bottom resembled a spring.It made a short hop toward Fami, but Wynn leaped in front of her, Biggoron sword in hand.It hopped at him, but he stopped it with a slash.It roared again and started flashing red and spinning wildly. "Get out of the way!" Wynn yelled.He dived out of the path of the creature, as did the girls.It exploded into a fiery red cloud of debris, and was gone. 

Wynn slowly pulled himself off the floor, and sighed. "I hate those things."He helped Fami to her feet, and urged her toward the elevator.She climbed on, and was gone.Nerah stood across from Wynn, warily avoiding the inactive Armos.Wynn nodded to her. "You're next."She consented. 

Minutes later, they all were on the elevator's destination.They grouped together, getting their bearings.They were in a large passageway, which made several serpentine twists before ending at a door.Jier in the lead, they went through.The next room was a massive chamber, with an immense statue of a woman taking up one wall.When Wynn saw this, he smiled. "Alright!I know where we have to go next!"He pointed to a platform hanging by chains from the roofin front of the face of the statue. "My father once described this room to me.He said that a very important room was up there, somewhere near that platform." 

Nerah's expression soured. "Uh, right, but how do we get up there?" 

Wynn's face fell. "Oh, yeah.My mace isn't long enough.Fami?" 

Fami frowned. "I think I can manage it.Here goes."A green aura surrounded her, and then a vine as thick as a tree sprouted from the floor.It grew upward, until it reached the platform.The four quickly climbed it, and stood cramped together on the small platform. 

"Now what?" Fami inquired.There was no entryway of any kind near them, just the face of the statue. 

Wynn smirked. "Nerah, would you please use a spell for me?That statue's face looks awfully dirty, and it needs washing." 

Nerah looked at him as if he were mad, but complied.To everyone's surprise, except Wynn's, the face dissolved with the water.Behind it was a small passageway, closed off by a metal grating.Fami waved her hand, and a vine thick enough to walk on sprouted from the platform, and ran to the grating.Careful not to plummet to the floor far below him, Wynn walked across, with the others trailing him. 

When Wynn approached the grating, it opened by itself, beckoning them inside.Wynn stepped into the passageway, hand at his sword.But there was no danger, just the remains of what appeared to be an ornate door blocking their way.Wynn and Jier strained to move it out of their path, and were rewarded by its quick collapse that permitted entry into the room beyond.They entered into a short hall, with columns lining the main path and the end shrouded in darkness. 

"So, young one, you finally arrive.A pity." A ghostly image of Icarnos manifested itself in front of them. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to kill you." 

Wynn's face contorted in anger. "Murderer!" He leapt at his greatest foe, sword in hand.Instead of harming the wizard, Wynn's sword, and Wynn himself, passed through him.Wynn smashed into the floor behind the wizard.Icarnos laughed evilly. 

"Murderer?I suppose I have earned that name, but not that you would know how.Why, who is it I have killed?" 

Wynn scrambled to his feet, glaring at Icarnos. "You killed Tane and Shezarah, you slime." Wynn growled. 

Icarnos chuckled. "Me?I would not waste my time killing insignificant gnats as those.No, you are quick to jump to conclusions.Why, you're friends are alive!Maybe not well, but alive, anyway.Behold!"The shadows cloaking the end of the hall vanished abruptly.Two figures stood at ready, visibly armed.Wynn blinked.It was Tane and Shezarah! 

"So, Wynn, I will leave you to your friends.Goodbye, and good riddance." And with a final, lingering laugh, Icarnos's image faded.Wynn looked to where the wizard had been, and then to his friends.A smile lit his face, and he started toward the people he had thought dead. 

"Wait..." Jier started, sensing danger. 

Wynn suddenly stopped, his mouth opening in shock.His friends...were acting funny.Suddenly, a red glow began to shine from the eyes of Tane and Shezarah.A wicked smile grew on their faces.They hefted their weapons, and charged at Wynn. 

Wynn yelped as Shezarah's blade narrowly missed his side. "Hey!Watch it!" He yelled as he ducked under the ax Tane was swinging. 

"Let's help him!" Fami yelled.The trio dashed to the aid of Wynn, who was barely dodging his former friends' fearsome attacks. The girls activated their magic, and Jier drew his short sword. 

"Try not to hurt them!" Jier yelled to the others.He then flipped over Tane's wildly swung ax. "If you can..." 

Fami's vines spiraled toward Shezarah, but she sliced them out of the way, and jumped over Nerah's water spout attack.Her scimitar was at the ready to carve up Nerah, but she was knocked flying to the side by a side kick from Jier. 

Wynn had his hands full with Tane.He couldn't use his sword without hurting Tane, but he was not able to keep dodging the slices from that ax.He jumped to the right, avoiding a fatal injury.Luckily, Tane's weapon became lodging in one of the columns.Wynn spared a glance to his other friends. 

"Go on, stop Icarnos!We can handle them!Go!" Fami yelled.Wynn nodded, and ran for the door at the end of the hall.Shezarah rose to stop him, but Jier kicked her legs out from under her.She fell, hitting her head on a column, and lay there, knocked out. 

Tane turned to the others, and glared at them.He obviously couldn't decide whether to stop Wynn or finish Jier and the two girls.Jier made the decision for him by charging, yelling a battle cry.The two friends clashed, each striving to stop the other. 

****** 

Meanwhile, Wynn was entering a impressively large room.In the center was a large stone platform, a good distance above the floor.At each of the sides, separated by a short space, was a much smaller platform.Wynn could hear voices coming from the top of the platform.He could see a corner of the platform was rough enough to climb.He ran to it, and speedily reached the top. 

Near him, Icarnos was conversing with two ancient-looking Gerudo women.The Gerudos were cloaked in a bright white light, and were ghostly transparent.Wynn noticed Icarnos had not his usual evil grin, but instead, the wizard was practically beaming.Icarnos began to laugh jovially. 

"So, the spell is that easy?Ha!I will rule Hyrule in no time, with that power.Now, I am off to Hyrule Castle!Ha ha ha!" 

One of the hags looked warily to the other, and then to Icarnos. "I thought you were going to bring us back first!" 

"Yeah!" the other crooned, "You promised!" 

Icarnos glared at the two. "I lied."He waved his hand, and a ball of energy formed.The Gerudos looked at each other, and then wailed pitifully.The ball struck them, exploded, and they were gone, back to from where they had come. 

"Now, to deal with you, son of Baro.I will offer again, become my assistant in the place of Seron.Together, we will rule Hyrule." 

"Never!Turn my friends back!" Wynn yelled. 

Icarnos frowned. "You are insolent, and will regret that.But first, I must insure that my plans are successful.So, I will keep you occupied.You want to save your friends?Here!" A small pendant appeared in his hands. "Just destroy this." A mischievous gleam appeared in his eyes. "But that would be too easy.Here, how's this?"The pendant suddenly disappeared, and, in its place, a Iron Knuckle twice the size of Silver Knuckle stood menacingly. "Well, good luck.I will be fulfilling my destiny!HA HA HA!" The wizard again vanished. 

The Knuckle glared at Wynn.Without speaking, it charged, swinging its ax, which was taller than Wynn.Wynn dodged, and again, and struck at his attacker, but it did no damage.The Knuckle was surprisingly agile, and drove Wynn to the edge of the platform.Now Wynn was trapped, and both knew this.The Knuckle charged him again, with the intent to slice him in half. 

Wynn had expected that maneuver, however, and had a solution.Tucking himself into a tight ball,he rolled between the legs of the monster, and behind it.His mace was in his hands as he rose, and he cast it.It wrapped around the leg of the Knuckle, and Wynn pulled.Off balance, the monster fell, not letting out a single noise, to the floor. 

Wynn braced himself for the impact.It felt as if the entire temple had shook when the creature hit the floor.Wynn cautiously stepped to the edge, and peered down.There the monster lay, not moving and surrounded by an evil light.Then, the light left, and the Knuckle collapsed into dust. 

****** 

Wynn stepped into the hallway where his friends had been doing battle.He smiled as he saw no one was hurt.Shezarah was struggling at the vines binding her to a column, and Tane was shouting protests as Nerah sprayed him with a water stream. 

"Hey!Cut...(blub!)...cut it out!"Tane yelled. 

"Where am I?What's going on?" Shezarah demanded. 

Wynn smiled. "Good to know you two are back to normal.Nerah, you can stop drowning Tane now." 

Nerah stopped, and Jier moved to cut Shezarah loose.They rose, and stared at Wynn for a second, and then simultaneously exploded with questions.Wynn smiled, waved for them to stop, and began, "Now, I bet you're wondering what just happened..." 

"There is no time." a voice cut him off.A Gerudo woman, older than Shezarah, appeared with a flash of tan light. "We must stop the wizard immediately!" 

"Great Nabooru!" Shezarah yelled in shock.Wynn looked at her quizzically. 

"Yes, Shezarah, it is I.I am the Sage of the Spirit Temple.Since I must cleanse the temple of the evil power, you must help our people by destroying the source of the evil, Icarnos.Go, all of you, and good luck!" 

Suddenly, everything disappeared.The next thing they knew, they were standing in front of the gate of the Hyrule Marketplace.The group knew something was amiss.It was the dead of night.The gate always closed at sun fall, and it was now wide open.As one, they all dashed into the marketplace, fearing what they would find. 

CHAPTER 12

The group stared at the damage surrounding them.People lay all around them, in the sleep of Icarnos's spells.The buildings wore the scars of ax strikes, from monsters laying siege to the town.Fami stared at the diner where they had seen the man dressed in Kokiri clothes.Wynn stared coldly ahead. 

"Let's go.The only way we can save these people is to stop that wizard." 

Together they walked up the path to the castle.The carpenter's were strewn across the path, like the people in the town.Wynn flinched at that sight.They continued to the castle, but at the gate they were met by guards.They all drew their weapons, or charged their magic,and waited for the guards to attack.The guards, six Iron Knuckles, strode toward them menacingly. Fami's vines wrapped around one, picked it up, and slammed it into the ground hard enough to crush it.Nerah's water blasted one into smithereens.Shezarah pounced on one, and used quick swipes to eliminate it.Tane used his ax to chop one leg of another like a tree, then removed its helmet from its shoulders.Jier used a strong kick to remove the head of the fifth.Wynn destroyed his with his Biggoron sword, limb by limb.With their enemies destroyed, the heroes moved to enter the castle.Directly inside was a huge room.And standing in the center, Silver Knuckle, flanked by a dozen Iron Knuckles.And behind them, several Knuckles, twice as tall as a normal Iron Knuckle. 

"So, weak one, you have come to battle.Well, it shall be quick.You all shall die, and I will serve as my master's right hand man, and rule Hyrule with him.I shall kill you myself, son of Baro.Soldiers!Kill the others!"He raised his weapon. "Come on!" 

Wynn attacked, but cautiously.The last time they had fought, Wynn had fought with his rage, and it had nearly killed him.He would not make the same mistake.Wynn fought using both mace and sword, but his foe's armor was impervious.He was having a tough time dodging that large ax.Each time, it seemed he was missed by a smaller and smaller distance.For what seemed to be hours, the battle waged between the two foes.They seemed to be equal in skill, but Silver Knuckle had the advantage in armor.Wynn was quick, but Silver Knuckle had a longer reach, and a more powerful attack.Once, Wynn was knocked down by the other, but was able to dodge the next attack, and make a few of his own. 

They clashed together again and again, attacking and defending, slashing and blocking.The struggle was sapping the energy of both, and soon, one would make a fatal mistake.Finally, they broke apart, glaring at their mortal enemy. 

"Ready to meet your parents?" Silver Knuckle asked cruelly. 

Wynn smiled slightly. "I know they're alive.Your master told me." 

Silver Knuckle's glowing red eyes widened. "But...my master told me he killed them..." 

Wynn laughed. "He lied."With those words, he flipped over his enemy and attacked with the mace.Silver Knuckle turned quickly, but it struck him on the back.He grunted loudly, and his attacks faltered.Wynn laughed. "Oh, a weak spot?" Silver Knuckle roared, and swung wildly, but to no avail.Wynn cast his mace, wrapping it around the legs of his armor-clad enemy.He then flipped to his enemy's unprotected flank, and drove his sword deep into one of the slits in the armor.Silver Knuckle couldn't turn, due to the chain tying his legs together. 

"Argh!" Silver Knuckle groaned, and fell to his knees. 

Wynn removed his sword, and circled to see his enemy's face.He looked grimly at the helmeted face. 

"So...you have vanquished me.I...I was wrong to call you weak.Farewell....Wynn." And with those words, the villain collapsed to the ground.Wynn was shocked to see that this Knuckle, like the others, was just an empty, armored shell. 

"Farewell." Wynn said.As he spoke, he noticed a small bug crawling out of the helmet. He smiled humorlessly. "My rival...a mere bug.Unconceivable."He watched as the bug burrowed into the ground, then turned away. 

Meanwhile, most of the other Knuckles had fallen, and, without a leader, more were destroyed.Soon, only the largest ones remained. 

"Go!Wynn, we can hold these off, you stop the wizard!" Tane yelled to his partner.Shezarah also urged the others, as well.Wynn nodded.Together with Jier, Fami, and Nerah, he ascended the stairs to his destiny. 

****** 

Wynn slowly opened the trapdoor to the top of the tower.He looked around him, searching for Icarnos.He noticed he was on one of the four corner towers.He moved out of the way so his friends could get past him.They all grouped together, looking for their target.Wynn didn't see him, but he did see something- on the center tower was a portal, made of a whirlpool of Icarnos's dark power.A stream ran from the portal, toward another tower. Toward... 

"There!There he is!" Nerah yelled.Icarnos stood alone on a tower, casting the spell making the portal.His white hair flew madly in the gusting winds.The tower he stood on was on the back corner nearest the one the heroes stood upon.But, it was much too far to cross. 

Wynn watched, powerless to stop his father's kidnapper."Wait!I know a way!" Jier yelled over the wind. "If the girls and I combine our magic, then we can create a bridge to the tower he is on!" 

Wynn nodded. "I must go alone." Fami and Nerah started to protest, but Wynn shook his head. "You cannot maintain the bridge, and cross it as well.I will stop him." A grim look clouded his face. "Whatever the cost," he murmured quietly.Only Jier heard, and he too frowned. 

"Let us do it, then." Jier said.The three gathered their power, and then let it out.The lines of power, one green, one blue, and one purple, spiraled around each other.They flew until they reached the tower that Icarnos laired upon.They then formed a bridge that Wynn could cross.With his sword in hand and jaw set, Wynn started across. 

When Wynn was halfway across, Icarnos noticed the person approaching him.He turned, and began to form a ball of energy.Wynn dashed to reach the other side, hoping to avoid being blasted off the bridge to the ground far below.Icarnos released the attack, but he aimed it for the bridge behind the hero, not Wynn.Wynn barely reached the tower when the bridge vanished behind him. 

"So, son of my greatest opponent, are you ready to die?" 

****** 

Meanwhile, Fami, Nerah, and Jier could only watch helplessly as Wynn dashed toward the old man. "He made it!" Fami cried as Wynn stepped onto the tower. 

"Yeah, but he is in a lot of trouble." Jier noted. 

Nerah was looking around, hoping to find something to help them.Suddenly, she spied something. "Look there!" she yelled. 

Riding at full gallop to the castle was a young man dressed in green clothes. "It's Link!It's Link!" Fami yelled. 

"Yeah, but can he help Wynn stop Icarnos?" Nerah asked. 

"The more important question is, can he stop what will come out of that portal?" Jier asked, a trace of fear in his voice. 

****** 

Tane and Shezarah were battling for their lives once again when the man dressed in a Kokiri Tunic rode by.He stopped his horse, jumped off, and ran into the castle.Tane shook his head, and turned back to battle.Everything was going nuts around here. 

****** 

"I will stop you, Icarnos, if it is with my last breath." Wynn vowed to his father's former friend.The two were staring at each other, searching for a weakness.The wizard's magic powers were ready to blast Wynn, and Wynn's sword was poised to strike Icarnos down.They circled each other, each prepared for the epic battle to come. 

"You are powerless to stop me.If I must, then I will destroy you.Your father will be trained in my powers." He cast a look to the tower Wynn's friends stood upon. "Or perhaps one of those two girls." 

Wynn tensed at that remark, and the wizard chuckled."You are weak, Wynn.Weak.You let your emotions rule you.Join me and know true power.With it, you can have anything you want."He again motioned to the tower Fami, Nerah, and Jier were on. "Anything." 

Wynn looked to the tower, hesitated, and then returned his gaze to Icarnos. "The only thing I desire is your death." 

"Then so be it.You will die, and I will rule Hyrule." This time, he motioned to the center tower. "With the absolute power of Ganondorf himself, I will be invincible." 

Wynn laughed grimly. "You can't control Ganondorf; no one can.He will destroy you." 

The wizard merely laughed, his blue eyes shining.Now Wynn knew, the wizard was truly mad. 

Without warning, the wizard let out a ball of energy.Wynn had barely managed to block it when another flew at him.He blocked again, then again, high and low, side to side.The wizard then blasted him with black lightning.Wynn caught it on his sword, but a tendril zapped his hand.It stung horribly, but he had not time to examine it.The wizard attacked relentlessly, tirelessly, but Wynn was losing ground.He slowly was being driven to the edge.He could not attack, and now the hand that had been shocked was going numb.Icarnos's power was overwhelming him.Wynn battled on, but there was nothing he could do to stop being driven off the edge and to his death. 

****** 

Fami watched the battles progressing with a heavy heart.Here, they could do nothing for Wynn, and they didn't want to return to the battle below, for fear of not being there when Wynn needed them. 

Suddenly, Jier yelled out, "The portal!Something's coming through!" 

He was right.The dark figure of a man slowly walked toward the portal that would allow him to enter the realm they were in.No details were visible, just a dark outline, except for glowing red eyes and the symbol of a trio of triangles on one hand.One was glowing the same red as his eyes. 

"Ganondorf!" Jier hissed.The girls instinctively moved away from the dark thing that would all too soon be with them.Jier himself was paralyzed with fear. 

Then, before Ganondorf exited the portal, the man wearing the green tunic, Link, rose from a trapdoor right in front of the portal.He drew a gleaming sword, hefted his sheild, and shouted something to Ganondorf no one else could hear over the wind.The figure of the feared Gerudo Ganondorf seemed to move quicker toward the portal, as if in anticipation of destroying his hated enemy. 

Jier shook his head.The King of Evil was going to re-enter this realm, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

****** 

Wynn fell to his knees, feebly defending himself from Icarnos's power.Icarnos laughed, sensing his opponent's defeat at hand. "Soon, you will die, Ganondorf will return, and I will rule Hyrule!" 

"You mean, destroy it." Wynn coughed. 

"Either way, you will not know the result.Your friends won't find out, either.They will die, right after you.Perhaps," the insane wizard grinned, "They will see a part of his power, in their destruction." He then let out a ball large enough to vaporize Wynn. 

However, with a new energy, Wynn leapt over it, then landed in a roll.He stopped directly in front of Icarnos, and stabbed with his sword.The blade buried itself in the wizard's chest. 

But instead of falling, or even clutching his chest, the wizard blasted Wynn backward, nearly to the edge of the tower.As Wynn watched, the wound, which should have been mortal, healed itself in front of his eyes. 

"Now, do you see?That is just an example of the powers I have gained. You were foolish to turn them down.But it is too late, you will now die, with your friends following you." 

Seeing no hope left, Wynn charged blindly at the wizard, determined to die fighting.The wizard charged his power, and unleashed a super powerful beam that slammed into Wynn's chest, burning into the thick armor.The wizard laughed maniacly as Wynn collapsed to the ground. 

****** 

Link was also having a difficult time defeating his foe.His sword repelled the figure, but he came tirelessly onward.Jier watched the battle, wishing he could be with Link in the battle, but afraid even to move.This was the creature that had devastated all of Hyrule.What could he, a Sheikah-in-training, do against that monster? 

He was shocked to hear a wail come from Fami's direction.He turned and looked at her.Both her and Nerah were watching Wynn's battle, and both had tears streaming down their faces.He then saw why: Wynn, leader of their group, and a good friend, had fallen. 

He was no less surprised than the girls when Wynn suddenly rose to his feet, picked up his sword, and started laughing. 

****** 

"Is that your best?And you call me weak? HA!" Wynn chuckled. 

Icarnos was aghast. "That should had eliminated you!Why, anyone without magic powers should have perished in that blast!" 

"There you go." Wynn snarled, a glow suddenly coming over him. "You should have known I had inherited my father's power."The glow steadily grew brighter and brighter.The wizard backed up, then started an onslaught of attacks.None passed the glowing light, which was protecting Wynn. 

"Your threat to Hyrule has ended." Wynn said in a monotone voice.He raised his arms.The light vanished.In its place, twin globes of light appeared over his head.They began spinning, faster and faster, orbiting Wynn's outstretched hands. 

"No! NO!NOOOOOOOOO!" the wizard screamed. 

****** 

Jier watched the events unfolding.The magical glow surrounding Wynn had been a surprise, but the spheres of light were even odder.He watched as Wynn slowly lowered his hands, the globes following.Wynn stopped when his hands were pointing at Icarnos.The globes speed up, now only a blur.Wynn then clapped his hands together.Even from here, Jier could hear the wizard's last shrill shriek.The spheres fused together, and formed a beam.Time seemed to stop as the beam blasted the ancient wizard, and then there was one final explosion of light. 

****** 

Tane was knocked onto his back, and looked up at the Knuckle poised to kill him.It raised its ax, and, as a bright flash exploded from a tower...toppled to the ground with a loud clatter.Tane sat up and looked over to Shezarah.The last Knuckle, the one she had been battling, was lying on the ground, and she was looking down at it, confused.He sighed.Things were always weird when he was around Shezarah. 

****** 

Link, the Hero of Time, was losing the battle against the creature that was once called Ganondorf, now known as Ganon.He was putting up a valiant battle, but even with the Master Sword he could not drive the King of Evil back from the portal.He could only hope that the man battling the wizard won, and quick. 

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, bright enough to blind.The portal began shrinking, and pulling everything nearby into it. It was all Link could do to prevent being sucked in.Ganon made a final lunge for the portal, reaching out.His dark hand grabbed Link, and held on. 

The two struggled, but Ganon would not let go.The portal was becoming smaller and smaller.Soon, he would be sucked in, or Ganon would be pulled out.Either way, Link's life was forfeit. 

****** 

Jier watched the goings on with trepidation.He could do nothing to save the green-clad hero battling Ganon, and soon, one of them would go through the portal.He shook his head.He was supposed to protect Hyrule, and now he couldn't even save its greatest hero.He was worthless. 

"Jier!Snap out of it!" Nerah shouted. "You have to help him!" 

She was right, he knew.But how?He dropped his hand to his dagger.Maybe... 

Jier stared at the hand that clutched Link.Stared at the red Triforce symbol.He knew what he had to do.In one smooth motion, he pulled his dagger from its sheath, aimed, and let it fly. 

The dagger soared for a horribly long moment.And then, it hit its target, sinking into the glowing shape of the symbol of the Triforce of Power.With a cry of pain and rage, Ganon fell back into the dark portal.But there was nothing the Evil One could do, for the portal slowly closed in front of the eyes of the four people watching. 

As the portal closed, Jier heard a voice speak, as if inside his head. 

_I will have my revenge. _

****** 

Everyone felt a sense of relief as Ganon was once again sealed in another dimension.Everyone, that is, except Fami.For she had not been watching this battle, but had stared at the tower where Icarnos had breathed his last.She lowered her head.She had seen nothing of the brave Wynn since the explosion that had killed his nemesis.She hoped it wasn't true, but her mind told her what her heart wouldn't believe: Wynn, her love, was dead. 

EPILOGUE

Together, Jier, Nerah, and Fami made their way to where Tane and Shezarah were awaiting.Jier's face was solemn, and Nerah's was tear-stained.Fami was inconsolable.They reached the bottom of the stairs, and walkedin silence across the room where Wynn had so bravely fought Silver Knuckle. 

Their friends rushed up to them, spouting off questions:

"What happened?" 

"Did we win?" 

"Who was that guy on the horse?" 

"Where's Wynn?" 

At that question, Jier tensed. Fami again wailed at the mention of his name.Nerah sobbed, "He's dead!" 

Shezarah's face fell.Tane stared at the ground.After all those battles together, the monsters and creatures of all sorts, the traps and trouble they had been through together, his partner had been killed?He couldn't believe it. 

Suddenly, a flash of light, much dimmer than the one that had finished Icarnos, but still dazzling, lit the air behind Fami, Nerah, and Jier. "Who's dead?" Shezarah was the first to see the identity of the speaker, the person that had appeared with the flash of light.Her face lit up, and she let out a laugh of joy. 

So distressed she hadn't heard the voice, and wondering what had caused Shezarah to laugh at this serious time, Fami looked behind her.What she saw shocked her to her core. 

_It was Wynn! _

She let out a cry of happiness, and threw herself at him, wrapping him up in a hug.He laughed quietly, and hugged her back. 

Nerah smiled to see Wynn, and then turned to look at Jier.He was beaming, glad to see his friend had survived his duel with his father's former enemy.Nerah turned back to Wynn and Fami, and noticed something: She wasn't jealous!She then turned to look again at Jier, and realized why.

Meanwhile, Tane was also beaming at his partner.It was obvious that they had won, and the enemy was eliminated.Tane was glad.He really needed a vacation. 

Again, a bright light flashed in the same fashion as the one that had signaled Wynn's appearance, this time behind Tane and Shezarah.They turned, and the others also looked. 

Emerging from the light was a young woman, dressed in the robes of a Hylian princess.She, like Ganon, had the Triforce symbol on her hand, but the glowing triangle on her hand was blue instead of red.She had blond hair, blue eyes, and ears distinguishing her as a Hylian.The group knew her identity by sight; it was the noble ruler of Hyrule, Princess Zelda. 

"Greetings, heroes.I must congratulate you on your victory.You have done a service to all of Hyrule.Your bravery has saved us all.From the deepest of my heart, I thank you." she said, regally.She then turned to Wynn. 

"I especially thank you.You have lead these brave individuals, and formed them into a potent fighting power.Through your sacrifice and strength, you have destroyed Icarnos, and prevented Ganon from escaping to once again devastate our land.A job well done." 

"Yeah, you weren't half bad," came a nearly arrogant sounding voice from behind them.It was Link.He stepped up to the princess, and stood beside her. 

"And you, too, were brave on your battle with the King of Evil.You were able to delay enough to allow Wynn to complete your task." the princess said, a smile of pride on her face. 

Link, too, smiled. "Thanks, Zelda, but how did I get here?" 

Princess Zelda sighed. "I knew that Wynn and his friends could not compete with Ganon's powers.Only the power of the Master Sword, and the wielder of the Triforce of Courage.So I had to bring you back, to save Hyrule once again." 

Link also sighed, and looked down at the Triforce on his hand and the triangle glowing green. "I understand." 

"That's good.Now I must leave.I must make preparations to insure this never happens again.It would be horrible if another wizard freed Ganon from his imprisonment in the future." Princess Zelda said.She hesitated, staring at Link's face, and then disappeared in a now-familiar flash of light. 

The heroes looked to Link.He whistled to his horse, and then nodded to Wynn. "Farewell, Wynn.Perhaps we shall meet in the future." With that, he mounted his horse, and turned it to leave. 

"Wait...Link!" Fami started, going towards him.But it was too late.Link was gone. 

Wynn did not notice Fami's actions.Instead, he stared at the receding figure, and murmured, "Yes, perhaps I will see you again.Perhaps." 

****** 

The heroes walked away, each taking their own path toward the marketplace.Jier, distracted by thoughts of what he had done and what he would return to, didn't notice he was being followed.Suddenly, he noticed someone behind him.It was Nerah. 

"So, Jier, where are you off to?Do you mind if I accompany you?" she started, showing a coy smile. 

Shocked, he could only step back, and stutter, "Uh...no,...I mean..." 

Taking advantage of his confusion, Nerah edged closer to him. 

He edged away. 

She edged closer. 

Having enough of this, Jier stopped, grabbed something from a pouch at his side, and threw it to the ground.It exploded with a flash.When she could see again, Nerah noticed Jier was gone.She shook her head with frustration. 

****** 

Wynn laughed as he watched the progressing events between Jier and Nerah.Obviously, Jier had found a new use for the Deku Nut.He then turned back to his thoughts.He must now search for his lost parents.He would not give up until he found them 

And somehow, Wynn knew that, sooner or later, he would succeed. 

****** 

Tane walked next to Shezarah, thinking silently.He had no home to return to, no family.He considered asking Shezarah to allow him to accompany her to the Gerudo Fortress, but was interrupted by Shezarah's voice. 

"Servant, you did well in the battle today." 

Tane smiled at that compliment, not even objecting to being called servant. He knew that would probably be the best he would get out of her. "You weren't so bad yourself." he commented. 

They stopped and looked at each other, smiling.Slowly, their faces moved together, and they kissed.After a moment, they broke apart, and continued walked, standing closer together.But now Tane walked with a proud swagger, and Shezarah noticed. 

"Satisfactory." she said in a monotone.Tane sagged, his ego deflated considerably.He sighed quietly to himself.Oh well, you couldn't win them all, he thought. 

****** 

The six heroes stood at the entrance of Hyrule marketplace.Five were grouped together, with Jier far away from Nerah, but Wynn stood apart from the others.The others watched him intently. 

"So, Wynn, I guess this is farewell." Tane said sadly. 

"For now, yes.I must now find my parents.Remember, I treasure your friendship.I will see each of you again.But I must go.Farewell, my friends."And with those words, Wynn turned and walked east.He had no set destination, but would instead wander Hyrule, searching for his parents. 

The others watched him walk toward the rising sun.They each knew they would see him again, and that he would someday find his parents.It was his destiny. 

****** 

Silence reigned over Hyrule Castle.The carpenters were avoiding the place for now, and the glorious castle seemed deviod of life.But that was not the case.For a small bug scrambled over the floor, headed for one of the empty suits of armor that once had been a Knuckle, but was now lifeless with its creator's destruction.The bug clambered over the armor, and into the vacant helmet.Then, twin red glows flared to life, and burned with a burning intensity.And with it, a new life that promised vengeance. 

THE END


End file.
